I just began oil painting in 2003 and have been a regular art class student ever since.  The majority of my painting and instruction has been in Mesa AZ, where my husband Bob and I retain a permanent home.  (We spend late spring and summer in Polson, and have been as active as we can in supporting the Sandpiper Art Gallery with volunteer time and in submitting art works for sale and display in the various shows held throughout Sandpiper’s exhibition year.)  For my subject matter, I have found my husband’s photography to be quite inspiring.  Since his favorite subjects are flora/fauna, landscapes, still life, and other assorted patterns/shapes occurring in nature, I have aligned my oil painting along those themes as well.  When I first started, I painted in a starkly realist manner, with vibrant colors and bold strokes, but I have learned along the way to dabble with some abstractionist touches now and again.  My style is flexible and evolving as I paint more and learn more.
 

I think any painting should be thought-provoking, as well as inspiring, but if I can paint a cute animal face or something of that ilk that is light-hearted, evoking chuckles and smiles, then I know I’ve succeeded in my intent to “both inform and entertain”  through what I perceive is a medium rife with beauty.  Whether the end goal of the artist is to provoke with gritty and hard-edged creations, or to truly move an audience with something dreamy and ephemeral, the art itself should also be a feast for the mind and eyes.  My goal is to be evocative, inspirational,  and even a little educational as I attempt to share my discoveries gleaned while oil-painting with a willing audience.  (One of the biggest personal revelations I’ve had is that the process of painting is highly relaxing and therapeutic, providing a welcome bastion of stress-relief in an otherwise uptight world).  I know I will never stop learning now that I’ve started; my hopes are to continue to share my creations with others and to encourage them to “slow down, de-stress, and always stop to smell the roses” along their path, through the discovery and sheer pleasure of wandering through the Gallery and drinking in with their eyes the huge variety of quality artwork available at their fingertips.