Artist's Statement
I like to think of my work as a portfolio of paintings of simpler times: a focus on the objects of everyday life which get overlooked due to everyday life ~ a simple bouquet, a rocking chair angled toward the sea, a bowl of peaches by a screened window in summer, a little black lamb caught in an endearing turn-of-the-head pose, a child's wagon parked by a cottage's overgrown bushes, sandcastles, old vehicles, a ramshackle fence, a sunset, a breaking wave, and more. I appreciate these simple scenes. For me, they make Life beautiful. And as a painter, I choose to celebrate them through my art.
When I choose a scene or composition, I think often of a painter I admire, Norman Rockwell, who said unabashedly: "The view of Life I communicate in my pictures excludes the sordid and the ugly. I paint Life as I would like it to be". Being a traditionalist and Romantic as well, I love to add a spirit of whimsy, color, energy, and flair. These are my inner sparks which I hope engage you, the viewer, with the Beauty of the Everyday.
Artist's Bio
In the fourth grade at my tenth birthday, I received 5 paint-by-number sets! And so began my passion for paint and color. Each day after school I would happily paint the pre-outlined panels of ballerinas, clowns, cocker spaniels, or floral bouquets. Soon, however, more serious endeavors intervened like academics, piano and bassoon lessons, tennis and golf lessons. My days of joy-filled "painting" disappeared. I graduated from Mount Holyoke College, Clark University, and earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Boston College. I established a 20-year psychology practice in Portland, Maine. All the while, the painting urge lay dormant until I finally registered for a Continuing Studies class at Maine College of Art. Then I was not only re-united with paint and color, but was making my own compositions, choosing my preferred subject matter and palette. The JOY returned! I subsequently closed my psychology practice to take more classes at MECA and to study with Janet Manyan and Diane Dahlke. I have since taken wonderful workshops with other inspiring artists like Lois Dodd, Carol Marine, and Maine's Holly Ready, Stan Moeller, and Dennis Perrin.
I enjoy painting on Monhegan Island off the inimitable Maine coast, painting in Bordeaux,Provence, Tuscany, or just setting up an easel in my own backyard. Whether working on a still life indoors or en Plein air, some of my happiest moments (starting at age 10) have been spent at the easel. I hope that joy is obvious to you as you view these selections. I now winter in Naples, Florida and show in exhibits there. Be on the lookout for some warm weather scenes!
Shows & Galleries
"Time and Tide Wait for No One"
KeyBank at Millcreek - 25 Market Street, South Portland, Maine
Solo show: July 20 through August 1, 2022
Naples Art Association
Naples, Florida
Best in Show Award - February 2020
Farm to Easel Invitational Show
Wolfe Neck Farm
September 2022, 2020, 2018, 2017
Maine Magazine Solo Show
80 Exchange Street, Portland, Maine
October 17 through November 30, 2019
Opera in Art, Juried Show
Naples Art
Naples, Florida
March 2019
Naples Art Portrait Show
Naples, Florida
February 2019
Kennebunk River Club Invitational Art Show
2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017
Tidewater-USM Extension
Juried Show: August 24, 2017
Pavilion Grill/Cafe at Maine Medical Center
22 Bramhall Street, Portland, Maine
Solo show: July 1 through September 30th, 2017
C. Periwinkle Gallery
Harpswell, Maine
2013 through 2019
Member, Meetinghouse Arts Gallery
Freeport, Maine
Represented by Art Collector Maine
Portland Art Gallery
Black Cat Coffee - 463 Stevens Ave, Portland, Maine
Solo show: June 8 through July 31, 2015
Key Bank at Monument Square - Portland, Maine
Solo show: June 2014
The Dana Center at Maine Medical Center - Portland, Maine
Solo show: October 2014 through February 2015
The Art Gallery at Central Park West - NYC
Il Chiostro juried show: 2014, 2013, 2012
Yarmouth Art Festival - Yarmouth, Maine
Juried show: 2013, 2012, 2011
Black Frame Art Show - Portland, Maine
Juried show: 2011, 2010
Maine College of Art Auction - Portland, Maine
Juried entry: 2011
Richard Boyd Gallery - Peaks Island, Maine
The Black and White Show - juried June 2011
Portland Symphony Orchestra Auction Benefit - Portland, Maine
Annually since 2011
Art Guild of Freeport Gallery - Freeport, Maine; 2011
Learning Works Show - Falmouth, Maine; Juried, October 2013
Former Member, Board of Trustees at Maine College of Art