q) Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.a)I was born in Washington, D.C. where I started taking classes at the Corcoran School of Art when I was twelve years old.
q)How would you describe your work?
a)My work is narrative female figurative that has at different times been called American Realist, Pop Surrealist, and Lowbrow. I am comfortable with any of those labels, although I don’t feel I fit in perfectly to any one of them.
q) Did somebody encourage you to become an artist?a)My mother really encouraged me from an early age. I became a single mother when I was still in school and had to figure out how to support myself and my son and still pursue my art. So I have found that finding the strength to be an artist really has to come from a fierce place within.
q) What is your favorite medium?
a)I am working on a new series of paintings that are acrylic on heavily gessoed paper. So at the moment this is my favorite. I work a lot in watercolor on paper too.
q) Can you describe your process, from the seed of an idea to a complete work?
a)I generally see a painting completely finished in my head before I start anything. Then I do a somewhat detailed pencil drawing on the painting surface. I have started recently to work out compositions in Photoshop playing with scale, placement of objects, etc. and then working from the selected printout. After the pencil drawing is complete I rarely make any major changes to the composition in the painting process. Then I develop the palette. Once the color range is determined I just start painting layer by layer by layer until I tell myself the painting is finished.
q) Generally speaking, where do your ideas come from?
a)My ideas may come from memory, old advertising imagery, old master paintings, random photographs found in flea markets, etc. Basically my mind is always looking for things to incorporate into paintings.
q) How long does it take to complete a piece?
a)Generally it takes 3 – 4 weeks to finish a painting.
q) Who are your favorite artists…and who are some artists you are currently looking/listening to?a)I have too many favorites to list… Today I am looking at the pre-Raphaelites
Waterhouse and Bouguereau, and the illustrators Elvgren and Leyendecker.
q) Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?
a)I show at O.K. Harris in New York City. I’m not sure when my next show is.
q) Do you have any 'studio rituals'? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?
a)I always listen to music while I paint – rock from punk to emo…
q) Do you have goals that you are trying to reach as an artist, what is your 'drive'? What would you like to accomplish in your 'profession'?
a)I have so many finished paintings in my head that my goal is to complete as many as possible in this lifetime.
q) When have you started using the internet and what role does this form of communication play for you, personally, for your art, and for your business?
a)I’m not sure how the internet has affected my work or my business other than allowing me to see far more work of other artists, galleries, museums, etc. and hopefully exposing my work to a more far reaching audience.
q) Do you have prefered working hours? Do you pay attention to the time of the day or maybe specific lighting?
a)I work both at night and during the day. My current studio space does not have good natural light so I am working under full-spectrum stand lamps (the kind used in photography).
q) Do you do commissioned works?
a)My work doesn’t really lend itself to commissions, but I think it would be fun.
q)…Your contacts
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