I'm an artist/writer living in The
Woodlands, TX with my husband and two dogs and two cats. My two
children are grown and I recently stopped teaching to focus on my
writing and art full time. This is a dream job, and even though I
spend long hours creating, it never feels like work.
My Creative Process
"Creativity takes courage."-Henri Matisse
What am I working on?
I am presently working on illustrations
for “Hound Dawg!”, a children's book written by Patricia
Vermillion to by published by TCU Press. I'm also working on some
mixed media pieces for a commission for a neighborhood bank as well
as two picture book dummies of my own.
How does my work differ from other
genres?
Illustrating and writing seem to go
hand-in-hand for me. I like for my illustrations to tell a story and
when I write a story it often begins with a series of pictures. I'm
a big fan of Melissa Sweet and Susan Roth because of their use of
collage and unconventional materials used in their artwork. When it
comes to composition and color, I'm inspired by John Singer Sargent,
Charles Russell, and Frederic Remington. When I need an idea for the
gesture or expression of a character, I can always count on Norman
Rockwell.
Why do I write (create) what I do?
I like to write and create art that
children and adults can appreciate. I also like to use a sense of
humor in everything I produce. I want my love for art and life to
show through everything I create. Mainly, I create because I'm too
cranky if I don't. It makes me happy.
How does my writing (creating)
process work?
I don't work in the traditional way
that most artists probably do. I like using a variety of materials
in my artwork. I never met a piece of paper I didn't like. I often
use newspapers, paper sacks, pages from phone books (yes, they do
serve a purpose!), tissue paper, greeting cards, and catalogs.
Sometimes I use other nontraditional materials such as fabric, yarn,
salt, buttons, game pieces, and other discarded tidbits around the
house or in the garage. My studio is a little bit of a mess at times
with paints, papers, inks, charcoal, etc. Thankfully, my studio is
a little room off of the garage that no one else has to see. My
house is very neat and minimalist, but you would never know that from
looking at my studio space. “A true Gemini” my mother likes to
say.
When I am working on a piece of art,
sketching out ideas, or working on a story, I need a large block of
uninterrupted time to play and experiment. It's very important that
my inner critic is shut out at this time so I can create without fear
of failure. Once I'm ready, I have two critique groups and family
members who are always ready to give truthful criticism. I also
attend life drawing groups for practice with my drawing skills.
There's one thing about an artist (and I guess everything else in
this world): there's always more to learn.
My art studio.
Work-in-progress:
I start with a sketch, but will play around with the composition by adding
and taking away pieces and rearranging before gluing anything down.
