About the Artist

Early in life, the woods near my home became my refuge, my hideaway, my playground, my sanctuary.

Today, the woods are my practice.

I have come to recognize that there is no true distinction between “us” and nature — we are all part of the same web of life. In my work, the organic environment becomes a metaphor for my need to belong, to root, to ground. Line, which is prominent in my art, is the ultimate connector. It is seen throughout nature — in the roots of trees, mycelium networks, protective canopies and how everything learns from and supports one another.

When we lose our connection to nature, we lose the connection to ourselves.

I seek to synthesize sometimes-disparate elements into an organic whole through a combination of painting, photography and assemblage. Natural materials such as straw, earth, bamboo, clay and plant roots become a reference for the temporality and cycles of life, death, decay and rebirth. Lead and rubber are incorporated for their malleability, strength and resilience. They are dense materials, heavy enough to bear the burden of life yet pliable enough to adapt.

My process of discovery and desire to not make the work too precious allows me to construct and deconstruct the work, making way for the possibility of new and unexpected images to come forth—sometimes a body fragment or figure enmeshed in the environment. I find art-making a continuous intuitive process that brings me closer to myself and the world.

I bring to my work more than 30 years’ experience as an artist, contemporary art curator, art therapist and art educator. I have provided curatorial and art consulting services to a range of international and cultural organizations, including Art Works for Change, The Natural World Museum, the Dalai Lama Foundation, United Nations, The World Bank, International Finance Corporation and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. I hold a Master of Art Therapy degree (George Washington University) and a Master of Fine Arts degree (University of Maryland).

I have been exhibiting my artwork internationally since 1998.