I am an artist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who previously spent 18 years living in Paris. My artwork is almost exclusively on paper, though I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture and worked with metal after obtaining my degree. I love working with my hands and during the years that I had an art studio in New York, paper became my material of choice. My artwork is in private collections and in hotels. In addition to working on my own artistic projects, I enjoy the challenge of making artwork on commission and collaborating with decorators and interior designers.
Drawings and Paintings
I love the direct tactile experience of working on paper and I am interested in visual ambiguity. My drawings and paintings incorporate these interests with my love of text, the contrast of colors and light and dark, and the use of different marks and colors to convey a variety of moods and energy. The layers of text – which are my thoughts at the moment and not preconceived – are sometimes combined with abstract gestures. With these techniques I seek to create environments and to evoke a specific atmosphere while retaining an underlying obscurity.
Photographs
I am intrigued by the details of the environment that surrounds me. Surfaces and structures, both man-made and natural, have textures, colors, and patterns that are visually compelling. Some surfaces are obviously striking when first seen but it is the subtle, often overlooked areas that reveal vivid detail when examined closely. Capturing and preserving these temporal details is one aim. There is beauty in the weathering of surfaces, in the aging of our environment; the old is constantly being replaced by the new. Layers of paint provide a reminder of the passage of time and hint at the history of a structure, which I find to be poignant and worth preserving with my photographs. The vibrant colors covering some of the storefronts in Paris are surprisingly lush, dramatic, and sublime. It is not necessary to change or add colors to my photos since there is already a diverse, rich palette to choose from. Juxtaposing and/or matching the images also serves to enhance the details and make unexpected visual associations.