My favorite art period is the Renaissance and the artist
Rembrandt is whom I most admire. I feel he contributed
such an important awareness of shadows and light to our
knowledge of painting.
When I paint portraits and particulary dancers, I am
enamored with the drama of painting in the dark shadows
and then laying down a wash over it all that brings the
movement of the piece to life. It never fails to amaze
me, even as the artist, what I just accomplished in one
simple technique - one SWISH of my large brush filled
with color and WHALLA...I have a painting done.
I have always had a tendency to be drawin to different
subjects and styles having a hard time settling in to
just one subject and style that I loved and felt it was
me. It's as if I have moved through a kalidiscope of colors
and styles reflecting some part of me as I grew into art.
Portarits are what I call my serious painting. I like
to illustrate children's books with portrait style painting,
especaily spiritual based books that I do with the Book
of Mormon Stalwart Soilders Series. Sometimes I paint
a cartoonist animal focused book and paint the children
in realistic portarait style. I like to combine that look.
It creates a sort of fantasy feel. We all know animals
don't realistically do some of the antics we artists create
on paper so when the children are real and the animals
are cartoonist, it feels as if the children are "dreaming"
and after all...children's dreams should come true and
it can start on paper.
I have a more light hearted side of me, painting bright,
colorful subjects that I give credit to my colorful pseudo
side I refer to as ( Calypso) She is more the gypsy, carnival,
circus side of me that likes the garish, the bant and
banner of lound circus's the silly upside down antics
of monkeys and parrots and could care less what anyone
things about what she wears and how dramatic it is or
how the colors appeal to her. These paintings can be sweet,
charming and adorable in a style that brings warmth and
loving characters to the paper I paint on.
