Acrylic on canvas | 4’x6’

blue leaves
mixed media on rice paper 11” x 14”

matilijas
oil on canvas 24” x 30”

eva’s lake

I’ve always loved handmade quilts - those made by my mid-western grandmother and aunt; those made by friends; those hanging in museums; even those that I’ve made for babies. When my sister from Asheville, North Carolina sent me 60 feet of Unryu rice paper for my birthday, I looked at it for several months, first applying some India ink to a piece, then some watercolor, then liquid acrylics. Finally I just wadded the piece up in a ball. It didn’t tear. Then I ironed it out. And finally, I tried sewing some pieces together, wondering if I could make something with it. And I did - first, a hand painted face mask to protect my younger daughter from Covid-19. And as we often do, I regressed back to what I knew how to do - sewing remnants together to make simple quilts. The quilt squares were inspired by my zoom art teacher from Mira Costa Community Center non-credit classes in Oceanside, CA. Each week, Sally chose themes/topics for us to paint. While most students painted on canvas or on watercolor paper, I used rice paper squares. When you look at the squares through light, you can often see the floating raw fibers in the paper pulp. I love that. They give me peace and hope during our times of strife.

January 2021

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
-Mary Oliver

tegernsee

acrylic on canvas 48” x 60”

this painting was inspired by a boat ride on Lake Tegernsee, in Germany, on a rainy afternoon.

spiderweb at the pacific
Acrylics on canvas 48” x 60”

winter’s coming
acrylics on watercolor paper 11” x 14”

"Artist who live and work with spiritual values cannot and should not remain indifferent to a conflict in which the highest values of humanity and civilization are at stake." - Pablo Picasso, December 1937

I was inspired to paint hanging eggs after recently contacting half siblings for the first time in my life.  One of my half sisters sent me a holiday card with a photograph of eggs laid by her chickens.  I was touched by the delicacy and sameness of these eggs, just as I was touched by the fragility and commonality with my newly met half siblings. I decided to hang and paint these sibling eggs in various situations to see if they could weather new experiences and eventually begin to bond with one another.