Biography EDUCATION B.S. in Painting at Portland State University, Portland, OR, 1983 Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, 1986-87 Selected Solo Exhibitions: 2006 Alysia Duckler Gallery, Portland, OR 2004 Savage Art Resources, Portland, OR 2002 “Gift,” Savage Gallery, Portland, OR 1999 “The Meaning of Flowers,” Quartersaw Gallery, Portland, OR 1997 “Providence,” Quartersaw Gallery, Portland, OR 1996 Quartersaw Gallery, Portland, OR 1989 Lawrence Gallery, Gleneden Beach, OR Selected Group Exhibitions: 2003 11th Annual Sitka Art Invitational, Portland, OR 1994 “Intersections,” Art Quake, Portland, OR Awards/Grants: 1987 Bridgette Beattie McCarthy Scholarship, Oregon School of Arts and Crafts Selected Publications: 1997 Roberts, Mike. “The Other Side of the Glass” Untitled #33. Portland, OR Best and Marsh Pub. 1993 Borgeson, Bet. The Colored Pencil: Key Concepts for Handling the Medium. New York, NY: Watson-Goptill Pub. Statement These paintings are reverse painted on Plexiglas. The acrylic panels provide a contemporary and synthetic sensibility to balance the organic forms of the painting. Working on the back of the pane makes the dried paint look like it's still wet. I design and paint the image in reverse like a print. The paintings rely on a measure of chance as each layer of paint has to dry before the next one can be painted. Once dry, the painting cannot be reworked. The image is built up with several layers of transparent and opaque oil paints, alkyd paint, powdered pigment and 22k gold leaf. The painting is mounted on top of a clear Plexiglas shadow box. This gives my work a feeling of substance and lightness at the same time. Drawings for my paintings are patterns incorporating the outlines of plants or animals. I arrange different combinations of bilaterally symmetrical shapes. When planning my paintings, I give the negative space in the composition as much emphasis as the positive. To create a rich surface, I superimpose patterns on top of each other. I work to exploit the potential of the oil paints and pigments as they interact on the smooth surface of the Plexiglas. For inspiration in my work I look to historical paintings. An element such as a fabric motif from an altarpiece of the Middle Ages or a Baroque decoration can appear in my paintings. I also am interested in the floral wallpaper designs of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts aesthetic. More contemporary influences include abstract expressionism, fabric and graphic design. My need to create comes together with elements of pattern, transparency, gesture, the vagaries of paint, chance and design to create my paintings.