I have been painting and drawing since childhood. My parents, who were designers/architects, introduced me to composition, perspective and color theory and encouraged my joy in creating. I gained further awareness of techniques, materials and styles in early classes at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The museum's beautiful collection offered a sense of history and has remained a life-long source of inspiration, I also studied art at Cranbrook Institute, the Roeper School and the Bloomfield Hills Art Association.

While drawing and painting came very early, I also studied theater from age six and acted professionally till age 14. About then, I fell in love with modern dance in junior high and gradually became more serious about it. Seeing the tremendous amount of time, energy and commitment dance training demands, I spent less time painting and drawing. I received scholarships to Interlochen Arts Academy and The Juilliard School and went on to an dynamic professional dance career based in New York City.

After 15 years of international touring, I relocated to California to join the faculty at UC Santa Barbara, serving as Vice Chair of the Department of Theater & Dance and as Artistic Director of the university's professional resident dance company, Santa Barbara Dance Theater.

The career change provided opportunities to renew my early passion for visual art. I took art classes, began painting seriously, and exhibited work in solo and group shows. Along the way, I also designed costumes and scenery for stage productions.

Inspiration

I paint to discover. Fascinated by the interaction of color, light and motion, I know that many aspects life that interest me most deeply elude description. As a visual and theater artist, I view a blank canvas, like an empty stage, as a space for playing, exploring, and expressing that which is beyond words.

Techniques

I love playing with color interactions because of their dynamic nature. Creating the "Motion" paintings, I moved my whole body as gesture. I am excited by translucency and its ability to suggest spatial depth, passage of time and liminal perception. Some images, emerging from meditative and/or playful states, lean into metaphysics.

Career Highlights

After an extensive performing career, I have exhibited paintings and sold them to private collectors across the United States. Works are grouped by type: "Penumbrae" (light, shadow and color), "Motion" (kinetic gestures) and "Figurative" (representation).