I work in several media, all connected by my attraction to old paper for its contents, its images, and its aged beauty. The stains, discoloring, stray marks, and creases give it a richness not possible with new paper. My drawings in pastel use stencil-like silhouettes on the collaged vintage pages and are my response to the paper that forms their backgrounds.
My collages are based on free association, using vintage periodical and book images to create discrete worlds merging image, color, and placement. They play with concepts and redefine reality. I combine their elements intuitively, sometimes with an idea of what I want and sometimes letting the elements themselves drive the image. I reclaim and reinterpret the past to bring it into the present.
I have recently added oil stick on panel pieces to further explore my continuing fascination with blackbirds and how they move in the world in oil pastels. The simply shaped backgrounds in vibrant hues complement the dark black birds as they interact with that world.
