Tropical Painting

I was born in Boston, Massachusetts and have painted just about all my life. After attending the Art Institute of Boston, I earned a Bachelors degree from Fairleigh Dickenson University in New Jersey in both Art and Accounting. In 1983 I moved to San Diego and have been showing and selling my paintings here ever since. Like most artists, my style has evolved over the years. I started out with a mostly figurative/representational style and later developed a more abstract approach. I've been most influenced by the Abstract Expressionists, especially Willem de Kooning and Joan Mitchell. Although I've worked with acrylics in the past, my preferred medium is oils. The colors obtainable with oils are so much richer and complex than with acrylic paint and they lend themselves to the wet on wet technique that I use most. Color theory has always been a big part of my work. I also like to use a combination of mediums, textures, brush strokes and techniques in my paintings. I find action painting especially exciting and liberating. But as much as I love to play with color and the sensuousness of the paint, for me the work can't just be pretty pictures. Most of my work addresses themes of environmental protection, climate change, human rights, and animal welfare. Lately, political themes have found there way into my paintings with the current turmoil in America. Most of my works have multiple meanings that I leave up to the viewer to interpret. My husband and I have been involved in environmental and animal protection causes for many years. All of the proceeds from my paintings are donated to animal causes.