What led you to art?
When I was 5 years old, I had a book titled “My Book About Me”. Within it was the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I enthusiastically filled in the blank with the word ARTIST. This has been a constant in my life and a huge part of who I am. I never called it into question or wanted to be anything else. The bigger question is what led me away from art, because it is easy to become disenchanted when you are a dreamer. I let myself get lost in the nine to five and had to make a conscious decision to return to what I truly love. I am at a point where I do not want to deny myself the happiness I find in a creative life.
When you are in need of inspiration are there particular things you read, listen to or look at to fuel your work? Any practices to get you in a creative mind frame?
My bicycle is currently a huge part of my artistic practice. When I am feeling uninspired, I throw my camera around my neck and I pedal until I find something interesting to capture. On many rides, I have not allowed myself to go home until something struck me and stuck. My photography, paintings and my mental well-being are hugely influenced by being in the street with my eyes wide open.
Who taught you the most about art?
Although I studied with some wonderful artists in art school, I have learned the most about art by going to galleries and museums. During my time living in New York City, I would take the subway to Chelsea and wander in and out of galleries all day long. It was always a wonderful adventure. I found as much art in the street as I did inside the walls built to house it.
Describe a quality have you retained since childhood?
I have always retained a sense of wonder. I love old junk, going to estate sales, flea markets and antique stores. I enjoy digging in the boxes no one else wants and finding something wonderful. My grandmother used to send us her garage sale finds wrapped in old wallpaper. Getting those boxes was always so fun and magical to me. I now collect many odd things, but primarily have collected found photos for over twenty years.
What simple pleasure brings you the most joy?
I love planting and tending to my flower garden. Digging in the dirt and enjoying the simple beauty of flowers is pretty fantastic. The hummingbirds and butterflies that visit are an added gift.
What about yourself challenges you the most?
I have been told many times in my life that I think too much. This has always annoyed me, because how can using my mind be a negative? I realize that many ideas come to fruition in my mind so vividly, complete with successes and failures, that I end up not pursuing them in physical form. I’m still thinking on it.
What does creating art provide for you?
Making art is the way in which I maneuver through the world, process emotion, talk back. It is a space in which my subconscious processes information. Trusting intuition, getting lost in the wandering of thought and physical space is where I find my true self. Art keeps me curious.
Featured Above:
Finished With Formality
Photography has always been a huge part of who I am and how I maneuver though the world. In addition to taking my own photographs, I collect vintage found photos. I find these castoff images at flea markets, antique stores and yard sales. I have a growing collection of odd souls that speak to me. I chase memories, even when they are not my own. Within my current body of paintings, I combine vintage vernacular photography with urban and animal imagery collected here in the Bay Area. In the process, what had been left to dust and dislocation is reanimated, resulting in new and obscure portraits of curious strangers.