I have always been a painter, according to my mother’s stories. Apparently, even as a toddler, before I even had paint at my disposal, I would use food to create recognizable pictures of houses, people, and pets on my plate. (I, of course, have no memory of this but that’s the story anyway!)
At any rate, painting has always been a deep passion for me and can’t remember a time when it wasn’t a central part of my life. Since moving to Rome in 2015 though, painting has taken on a whole new level of meaning for me. Through studies with some amazingly talented teachers, I rediscovered the true joy of painting. Once I discovered how to “connect” with the process in this new way, I also found that I really, really love painting portraits.
Below are a few examples of my recent work, with a few representative pieces from the past that have been sold or are in my personal collection. To see more of my work and pieces that are available for sale, please feel free to visit my Artwork Archive.
If you would be interested in commissioning a portrait or for any other information, please feel free to contact me here, any time.
“Limitless Dawn” – commissioned portrait
Oil on canvas – 24″ x 18″ (60 x 45 cm)
This is a portrait of an incredibly talented tattoo artist that has done some beautiful work for me. The image of her was from a photo taken of her in warrior gear, and the background is an imaginary wilderness.
“King Mr. King” – commissioned portrait
Oil on canvas – 24″ x 18″ (60 x 45 cm)
This is a portrait of a fine gentleman that I worked with at the Historic Congressional Cemetery when I lived in Washington, DC. His eternal patience and zen-like attitude toward life had a huge influence on me. I enjoyed every single conversation I had with him, and those conversations really helped shape into who I am today. When I heard that he was retiring, it seemed only fitting that I paint him a noble portrait.
Commissioned Portrait – “A Man And His Globe”
Oil on canvas – 24″ x 18″ (60 x 45 cm)
This is a portrait of a gentleman that had faith in me as a painter when I didn’t even realize that was what I wanted to do with my life. I had always enjoyed painting, but never allowed myself to think of myself as a “painter.” This man saw one of my paintings, loved it, and asked if I would paint a portrait of his mother. Which I did. After that he bought several more of my works, even opening his gorgeous home to me to use for a “pop up” show. He is well known in the Washington, DC area as a great supporter of the arts, and I am honored to call him my friend.
“Ken Contemplates Eternity”
Oil on Canvas – 36″ x 36″ (92 cm x 92 cm)
While shopping one day at a local flea-market in Rome, I found an old, somewhat beaten up, life-size mannequin and knew I had to have him in my studio. After paying the cashier, I immediately named him Ken, and we took him apart, stuffed him in the car (which sounds rather creepy, come to think of it…☠️😋☠️), and took him home. It was a particularly sunny day and when I plunked his head and torso section on the couch, seeing the light shining off him, I was struck by how much the scene looked like a de Chirico painting. My interpretation of that moment has Ken gazing out the window at surrealistic clouds, contemplating his existence as an idealized representation of a human.
(Ken now leads a fabulous life in our home.)
“Making Peace With Yellow”
Acrylic on canvas 48″ x 36″ (120 x 92cm)
I was looking online for a cool pair of sunglasses and I ran across an image of the great Yayoi Kusama wearing these:
I told my husband I found the ideal sunglasses but I couldn’t get them because…they were yellow. He asked, “what’s wrong with yellow?” I said that yellow and I don’t get along very well at all. To which he replied, “Maybe you just need to make peace with yellow.”
In the long run, I didn’t get the sunglasses, but I did make peace with yellow, in my own little way.
“Emerald Buddha”
Oil On Canvas 48″ x 34″ (120 x 86 cm)
“Emerald Buddha” came to me during a rather emotional time in my life. I was in need of finding a way to keep myself centered and not letting my feelings get the better of me. We have several Buddha statues around our home, and one day I found myself looking at one of them, for a very long time. I realized that for the duration of that gaze, I felt rather relaxed and wasn’t thinking about any of the unpleasantness going on around me, and I found that same feeling staying with me while I worked on this painting. It was quite literally the most meditative piece I’ve ever done.
“Front Table Julep”
Acrylic on canvas – 48″ x 34″ (120 x 86 cm)
This painting was done in 2014, after a visit to the Maison Bourbon Jazz Club in New Orleans, shortly after marrying my amazing husband. We sat in the front row, enjoying a couple of mint juleps as well as the phenomenal music being performed. I had visited the Maison Bourbon when I was a teenager back in 1982, when I was living out a rather Kerouac inspired trip around the country. This place always held a special, magical space in my memory, and it was a thrill to not only revisit it, but to confirm that the everything about it was just as magnificent as I remembered.
“Der Mund”
Acrylic on canvas – 36″ x 36″ (92 cm x 92 cm)
My husband is my muse, and throughout our entire relationship, I have not been able to stop painting him. This is another work from 2014 that I did after taking a photo of him shortly after he woke up. His sweet, sleepy smile made me so happy, I decided to feature it in a painting. We had it hanging in our home for years, and it made me happy every time I saw it. It was later purchased by an orthodontist for his office. And though I knew it went to a good home, to this day I still kinda miss this one.
“It’s All In The Eyes – Advice From Hartwell”
Acrylic on canvas – 36″ x 36″ (92 cm x 92 cm)
Though I’ve worked as a photographer off and on for years, I’ve always found being behind the camera to be much more comfortable than being in front of it. After my friend Hartwell took a photo of me and I lamented how un-photogenic I was, he looked at me and said, “Nah. You’re just not comfortable and it shows. It’s all in the eyes. Just look at the camera and pretend you’re looking at someone you love.” I haven’t always been successful in following that advice, the camera does still freak me out when pointed in my direction, but sometimes…sometimes I get it right.
“Der Kuss – The Kiss”
Acrylic on canvas – 36″ x 36″ (92 cm x 92 cm)
And so I’ll end this page with the painting that started it all. Well, started the phase of my life when I allowed myself to become a full time artist. I had snapped a photo of my Beloved kissing me on the cheek, by just holding the camera above us and clicking the button. I had no idea what it was going to look like, but it was upside down and weirdly wonderful. So I based this painting on that blurry, strange photo…and was so pleased with the result that I just couldn’t seem to stop painting after this was completed, eventually making it my career. When I look at this now, I see two blessings in one, the love of my life, and the love I am now free to let loose in painting.
Visit my Artwork Archive for more of my work, or
contact me here if you’d like to commission a piece.