My artwork emerges from childhood longings: A little
girl’s fascination with flowers. A greedy toddler’s
lust for shiny objects. The wish that birds could talk, that
trees could share their secrets. My walks to and from school
took me through through an urban forest ruled by squirrels
and cardinals, where oaks and maples crowded in on the
houses, weeds invaded the alleys, and blades of grass
muscled through sidewalk cracks. I drew inspiration from
shapes and patterns in nature—seed pods, icicles, wood grains.
I found myself entranced by desert plants and marine creatures,
as well as textiles and other traditional designs.
When it comes to other artists, I revel in the playful
shape consciousness of early 20th-century experimenters
such as Hilma af Klint, Sophie Tauber-Arp and Paul Klee.
Among other collagists, I look to Romare Bearden, Lee Krasner,
and Conrad Marca-Relli.
Over the years, I have developed an exploratory process
of repainting, cutting, and fitting old paintings, drawings,
and sketchbook pages. Though I work primarily in acrylic paint,
I also collage with ink, pastel, watercolor, graphite, opaque marker,
magazine pages, and junk mail.