Biography
I received an M.F.A. in Painting from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1976, as well as an M.F.A. in Medical illustration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1988. I have exhibited drawings and paintings in national and local exhibitions including: Art Institute of Chicago, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Butler Institute of American Art, Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, Ella Sharp Museum, National Arts Club in New York, Adrian College, and Mount Holyoke College.
I have won awards at the Pastel Society of America, Pastel Society of the West Coast, Great Lakes Pastel Society, Pastel Society of New Mexico, Mid-America Pastel Society, Pastel Journal 100 Competition, Washington Society of Portrait Artists, Michigan Drawing Biennial, and others. I have held the position of Roman J. Witt Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design from 2001-2003, and prior to that was an Adjunct Lecturer.
I have been artist-in-residence at The Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Blue Mountain Center for the Arts, Ucross Foundation, Jentel, and Hall Farm Center for the Arts. In 2007 I was awarded a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, and in 2008 I was elected as a Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America.
I am represented by Gallery Henoch in New York, NY, Cavalier Gallery in Nantucket, MA, and River Gallery in Chelsea, MI.
Artist Statement
The origins of my work lie in observing the world and taking note of visual elements which I find worthy of further consideration. I look with intensity at subjects that intrigue me, and try to portray them in a way that allows them to become symbolic, metaphorical, or provocative in some way. I hope to urge people to see familiar objects in new ways or to simply see what is ordinarily overlooked. In the process of careful observation I often take an object out of its environment or normal context. This allows me to focus on the form, rather than the function, and often leads me to find the soul of an inanimate object. I'm drawn to the media of pastel for the wonderful spontaneity it allows and because I love the physical process of putting pastel onto sanded paper.