I have been drawing, painting and sculpting for as long as I can remember. When I was four years old, my nursery school teacher told my mother that I would be an artist. After graduating from Hartford Art School/U. of Hartford with a BFA in ceramic sculpture in 1974, I attempted to pursue a career in commercial art but it left me feeling hollow. In 1982 I was introduced to the craft of the Dental Ceramist, which utilized my abilities in sculpture and color analysis (a truly unheralded craft in this country.) I was happy in this career for 25 years, including the ten years I spent running my own business. After the death of my husband in 2006, I closed my business and decided it was time to rededicate my time and energy to my artwork. I am a pastel painter as well as a sculptor, with my thought process being the common fiber that weaves through both my two and three- dimensional pieces. Clay is my first love, however, and even my paintings start off in my brain as clay pieces. The richness, texture and movement of soft clay fascinate me, and I strive to communicate this in my finished pieces. I look at the clay body as the end itself, rather than as a canvas for the glaze.
Observing the world in its grandeur and minuteness on a second to second basis has kept me amused and intrigued from my childhood. In my time on this planet I have found the following to be true: straight lines do not exist in nature; everything, man-made and natural, has its own spirit; there is a world of inspiration to be found in every face; and, last but not least, humans are funny. I believe in joy and humor, and that positive lessons come from pain. We are born without filters, and because of this are able to live and experience life as joyous explorers. As we grow, filters come down one at a time as we experience pain and learn to protect ourselves. These filters help us navigate safely through time, protecting us from the loneliness of not fitting in. Filters help us achieve goals without being sidetracked every second of every day. I think that what I express in color, shape and form comes from a small part of my brain that doesn’t need the filters and therefore doesn’t need the control.