I live in Southern Brown County near the town of Nashville, Indiana, known as the Art Colony of the Midwest, where I have lived since 1994. I first began painting in the 1970's in my home state of Kentucky where I studied portraiture, landscapes and still lifes under the tutelage of a professional portrait painter for two years. After many workshops, study and hard work I describe my style as representational with an impressionistic slant. My influential favorites are Rembrandt, Singer-Sargent, Remington, MacPherson, Charles Reid and Arne Westerman. My gardens and animals serve as inspiration for many of my paintings.
I paint primarily in three mediums - oil, acrylic and watercolor with an occasional pastel. The subject matter frequently dictates which medium I will use. My approach to oil painting is usually to mix puddles of colors with values of light and dark. This enables me to work quickly and add in more colors when necessary. But I do mix colors directly on the palette from time-to-time. Relationships of shadow and color intrigue me and I am drawn to a subject with strong values.
It is still important for me to experiment - which I frequently do. Painting never becomes boring if you allow yourself to test new waters. The challenges with painting are endless.
My painting trips have taken me throughout the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Mexico. But Brown County is still one of the great places to paint. I reside South of Nashville with my husband, Don, two horses and six cats and have a beautiful view of the Indiana countryside.
