They reflect my thoughts on the opposing elements of nature: structure versus flow, energy versus calm.  I love the process of making a painting, applying the paint to paper and watching the paint take on a life of its own.  What a surprise and joy it is to create something that has never been done before.

I paint because I must; it is important for my well-being

My collages are made up of tissue papers which I paint and decorate with handmade stamps, torn pieces of paintings I no longer want to keep, handmade paper, rice paper, and whatever other found object I wish to incorporate into them.

Procedure

I call my paintings “experimental” because I don’t have a plan or idea in mind when I begin a painting.  I begin applying colors and shapes at random, sometimes using watercolor but most often acrylic.  I use a brush to apply paint and sometimes create texture while it’s still wet with plastic food wrap or waxed paper.  Throughout the painting process texture and vibrancy are created  by rolling a brayer over wrinkled facial tissue placed on wet paint.  various other methods are used to create texture such as alcohol spritzed onto wet paint, colored pencil markings, plastic grids, light bulb cartons, purchased and handmade stamps, etc.

Paint is applied with these methods in thin layers revealing colors and shapes from previous layers.  This gives the painting a rich depth of color.  As the work progresses, the overall design and composition are developed.  The refinement process brings order to the initial chaos of the painting.

Painting in this experimental way is exciting.  When the journey is begun, the destination is unknown;  thus the arrival is a surprise!