I love the visceral process of creating art. I like texture – visual and tactile. I find joy in imperfection. I am drawn to watercolor and encaustics for their ability to convey light from within. My inspiration may be a random snapshot taken while I’m driving along the lake, a desire for a particular color, or the urge to move my arm in a certain way. Regardless of the inspiration, I don't always know where a piece will end up, as it takes on a life of its own.

My encaustics begin with layers of texture and color, embedded drawings, scraps of watercolor-stained paper, unpremeditated marks. Then I search for random forms of color and line, turn it sideways or upside down, make more marks. These become a jumping off point as I discover more intricate forms, which themselves are alternately created and destroyed - sometimes several times over - by a frenzied process using any medium or material at hand. There are suggestions of figures, masks, architectural elements, bits of landscape, surreal creatures.

In my watercolors, my marks are fluid and loose, and can be interpreted multiple ways. The same line might be the side of a face, part of a tree and the curve of a body, the forms run together and overlap. Although some of my images are bold and obvious, my favorites contain secrets to be discovered, puzzles to be solved. I am exploring ways to incorporate these same qualities into my encaustic paintings.