Born in 1969 in Miami, Florida, the artist discovered her love for abstract expressionism early on. In the interview she explains her style and who her role models are.
How did you get into Art?
As a young child I always created art with any supplies available as it was my way to deal with emotions and feel connected to myself.
How would you describe your style? What makes your work special?
I am an abstract expressionist, gestural, impasto, and assemblage large canvas painter. What makes my work special is not just size but the cohesiveness of my multimedia materials. My work explores the deep connection and internal alchemy between emotions and the psychology of the creation process. The color palette choices, large canvas and mixed media materials all have purpose and together construct a complete visual narrative of the emotions I feel at the time.
How do you go about developing your work?
I create to literally rid emotional energy and purge thought, but it’s compulsory to paint on large surfaces in a gestural, energized way, as smaller substrates are excruciatingly claustrophobic. I apply liberal opaque and diluted paint, spread it across usually unprimed canvas letting it drip and soak into the cotton. As I add layers of paint, mixed media materials and texture, I accept the element of chance in how the paint drips and interacts with the additional materials. I use mixed media materials almost unconsciously as I answer to painting’s composition and textural needs. I sometimes scratch into the existing layers to expose the underpainting, creating lines and texture. Lastly, mark making becomes an extension of my nervous system, the vigorous scribbles cut into but add to the harmony of the painting, accentuating the visual emotional narrative until I feel complete.
Who or what influences you?
Nature, Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschemberg, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jim Dine, Mark Rothko and Lee Krasner are among my inspirations.
What are you planning to do next?
I’m currently working on unprimed canvases and exploring how paint reacts to that substrate. I am looking forward to assemblage on clear primed linen and returning to oils and cold-wax medium on wood cradles.
