“Wash Day” comes from collected memories of laundry drying in places visited around the world. The one thing we all have in common around the world is washing our clothing—the interesting part is seeing the ingenious ways people will display and dry them.
Chaos, confusion, clutter, and color were feelings evoked while viewing the scenes at Shibuya Crossing—the world’s most heavily pedestrian trafficked intersection. These feelings are translated into mixed media and collage images. The layered shapes, fabric enhancements and stitching evoke Japanese Folk clothing known as “boro”.
In the “Agua” (or water) series of paintings, water is the focal point. The subject matter comes from personal photographs of the world’s many natural springs, rivers, and coral reefs. When the views are taken from these perspectives the subject matter becomes abstract. Seeing the distortions of the human body underwater; the reflections of light the way it affects the surfaces; how perspective is altered when viewing water at eye level or from the air are the subject of fascination.
Agua Vida (or water life) shows the wildlife that is seen during the travels of photographing images to create paintings for the Agua series. Water birds and turtles are the preferred subject matter.
In 2007, I became interested in Florida’s historic Seminole and Miccosukee tribes, specifically from the period dating from the 1920s to the 1950s. I researched and collected historical documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, postcards and oral histories of the life and work of these early Florida settlers.
Informed by this accumulated wealth of intriguing historic data, and specifically the stories behind the imagery, I began my “Florida Indian Tribes” series of paintings, exploring ways to give the viewer a fresh historical perspective of an Indian tribe which continues to inhabit and impact south Florida, preserving and interpreting in a new way, an important part of its local history.
These paintings are created primarily as banners and framed artwork in batik, rozome, and mixed media. Several of the paintings are done in a style that is a personal interpretation of men's Seminole jackets that are styled after the designs of Japanese kimonos. They have been featured in many museum exhibitions and public art installations. They are presently available for purchase or to be displayed in a traveling exhibition.
Tropical Views reflects travels around the world and the Caribbean. Love of color, photography, history and travel are the sources of inspiration.
Personal Photographs are the root of my creative work. Here are a few favorites
These paintings are in the permanent collections of many museums and public institutions around the state from Marco Island to Tallahassee.
