PORTFOLIOS are organized into several themed series, each with its own page. (click on a picture to open the portfolio.) Read about why I paint animals.
“I really liked the way you caught the intensity of feline play – or strife- they are not far apart! It reminds me of my long gone cats Billy and Faith, who were a bonded pair. They play-fought every day until in extreme old age Billy wasn’t up to it, and they would still posture. It became a ritual for them.”
– Holli Jones, cat rescuer, Springport, Indiana
WHY I’m a bit introverted and perhaps that’s why I am drawn to animals, nature and art. I can experience them in silence with no awkwardness. They transport a person into the present, relieve stress, and deliver joy.
MODELS The first models for this body of work were my own four dogs and two cats. After the last of the six passed on, a seventh, Kitten Caboodle, mysteriously appeared… but that’s another story. Since then the model pool has expanded beyond my yard.
MEANING These portraits are tributes to the profound impact that pets play in our daily lives and are memorials to beloved family members that have passed.
Black and white is not my perspective on life; yet I find it loaded with potential as an artistic mode (and I don’t mean just as metaphor.) While exploring the seemingly dualistic nature of life, the nuance of grey inevitably insinuates itself into the picture.
VISUALS The simplified pallet of black and white asserts the elegance of the animal form. The intimate views isolate familiar (and sometimes quirky) shapes, while the spaces are energized by character and memory.
TODAY My Husband and I are taking a break from large scale pet rearing and so now I paint the pets of others. Perhaps yours