I am a mixed media artist interested in the process of making art and how it affects the product.  My experience making a piece is as important as the result.  I use media to explore the relationships between materials and inner conflicts; how can my experience be expressed through the material, and how can materials affect my experience of expression?  Some of my work is an act of self-preservation, self-care, and self-exploration.  Other work is done to connect with others.  My artist and therapist selves work together to create work that is restorative, communicative, and connective.  An element of play is always present, productive play, as I believe that art connects with our inner selves through playing and experimenting.

My process-oriented focus lends me to looking at each material’s personality and how it might best suit a particular expression.  Watercolors require time-management and patience, while also the flexibility to adapt quickly to the paint as it moves across the page.  Crocheting can become meditative, and while easy to learn, takes time to create each piece.  Clay has its own built-in time schedule, rules that cannot easily be broken.  I believe every material has a personality that affects artists in different ways, therefore every material is not right for every situation, mood, and expression.  Just like a composer can combine many instruments’ voices to create a song, I combine the qualities of different materials to create an object that expresses my inner experience.

For more information about the affects of materials on artists, I highly highly recommend the book: Mind Over Matter by Don Seiden.