ARTIST STATEMENT

The visual language of my work radiates out from a core of light and energy enveloping the viewer deeper into the elusive and intangible tension of opposites. Approaching my work on that level of intimacy allows me a glimpse into a private and honest place, getting right into the center of the being and the immortality of the human spirit.

By exploring universal themes of connection and disconnections and the threads that bind us together, fragments of identity become intertwined in layered dimensions of time, space, personal history, unity and renewal.

Even though our religious, political and cultural differences are so steeped in historical conflict, the need for reconciling the bonds of humanity within a conflicted world of human instinct and spiritual ideals is universal. Exploring within this framework, the sculptural forms within the plaster are drawn on, sanded out, reshaped and redrawn until the manifestation of the figures accentuate the principle elements of the opposites. Further, the emergence and regression of the symbolic images in the cyclic life of nature (recognizable forms but often obscure) manifest in transcendent connections to the divine.

The ongoing evolution of these principle elements and the vulnerability and strength of the human spirit inspire my explorations and discoveries of the human experience. (back to top)

BIOGRAPHY

My formal art education began in the 1980s with the Quida Canaday Atelier and continues today through study programs and workshops. My past gallery affiliations include The Lowe Gallery, Carlton Cobb and Ariel Galleries.

My work was accepted into many juried competitions and honored with many awards. I became an active member of the Atlanta Arts Club, taught art through the City of Roswell Recreation and Parks Department, and served as Judge for numerous art festivals. Most recently, I served as Judge for the 2008 Roswell Arts Festival (42nd Annual.)

Being active in Atlanta for 20 years, my focus gradually shifted to my community, Roswell. Working to develop an art community embracing many points of view, the concept of artist-owned contemporary co-op gallery took seed in 1990 and I spent eight years as co-founder and co-director of Heaven Blue Rose Gallery.

In 1999 I built SLM Studio/Gallery in Plumtree Village, a complex developed with my husband of related galleries, shops and a coffee house.  My studio’s  inaugural  opening  was   hosted   in partnership with the Roswell Cultural Arts Center,  exhibiting  the
first annual North Fulton Regional Juried Art Exhibit, founded by Wendy James and myself.

In 2006, I implemented and introduced the concept of “Spare Space,” an alternative venue of performance installations working in multi-media disciplines. The inaugural show,"Manufactured=Love" by Allison Rentz, was held in my SLM Studio courtyard. Through my gallery program of artist participations, the fruition of a second gallery, SLM Projects, was conceived under the directorship of Wendy James, bridging the cultural gap of city and suburb with cultural diversity and progressive art. The inaugural exhibit of renowned painter Philip Morsberger introduced SLM Projects to the community.

In 2003 and 2004, I was juried into the Roswell art happening “UpRoar” and “Undercover”, by the Historic and Cultural Affairs Division and Roswell Cultural Arts Board.  I was nominated in 2006 and 2007 for the CABYs' Distinquished Visual Artist award. 

In 2008 I was co-recipient of CABYs' first Board's Choice Award. I also had the priviledge of appearing on the cover of North Fulton Living Magazine's January-February issue, and was the featured artist in "Spotlight On Artists."

While I continue to participate and support our arts organizations, projects, events and bi-annual art walks, my ongoing commitment to introduce diverse cultures and ideas constitutes a fresh approach to our vital cultural arts community - a welcome growth.  (back to top)