BIO
I am currently on sabbatical from my tenured teaching position at Solano College, living and working in Los Angeles. On October 2 at 2 PM I begin a two-month residency at Lekookala’s Le Garage in the Brewery complex in Lincoln Heights.
This has been a very productive creative time.
I connect my hands to my mind through painting, tapping into the collective unconscious. My daily drawing and painting practice has evolved alongside the act of walking. I spend extended periods—months, weeks, or days—traveling on foot in the wilderness having hiked the PCT and JMT*. I pause to rest, drawing from both nature and my imagination. In my studio, I focus on the internal connections formed within me through memories of wandering and living in the rugged terrain of both cities and the wilderness.
My main studio is in Vallejo, California. For fifteen years, I have taught painting, printmaking, and color theory at Solano College. I love teaching and constantly learn from my students. I am a mother, a hiker, and an artist captivated by my mark-making process. Water is central to my work; it enables me to alter and bend what I create. My art is deeply feminist and engages with themes of water-related environmental issues, climate change, and the evolving understanding of gender identity.
I earned my MFA in painting from Yale University School of Art and a BFA with High Distinction in both painting and printmaking from California College of Arts.
WHY?
I can’t stop. I am compelled to make marks on paper (drawings!) and mix color on fabric (paintings!)
We find ourselves in a dynamic time of change and I believe that we need to simplify the way we live. Painting has always been a process of simplification for me as I achieve flow states in my mind through the act of constant critical thinking.
I am deeply connected to water and air, using my imagination to create and engage with narratives that explore both my immediate environment and the larger structures of our water systems and the atmosphere that surrounds us. Disney’s Fantasia was my first movie (age 5). The animated, living water imprinted on my psyche and forever changed my mark making. My paintings often allude to the landscapes I encounter and in their simplicity intentionally fail to deliver the picture, allowing the viewer to connect with my form and color.
I am continually amazed by the idea that every drop of water on our planet has existed since the beginning, cycling through countless forms and places over billions of years. Water serves as a foundational element in my painting process, shaping both the formal techniques I use and the conceptual framework of the works I share here.