In the early1990’s when I developed allergies to oil paint and turpentine, I began exploring oil pastels. I didn’t have a studio but I was able to use these materials easily at home. My husband in the early 1990’s and I had taken several trips to the U.S. National Parks in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. I became inspired by intricate rock formations and red and pink cliffs to be found in the Southwest. Capturing the complexity of the interwoven forms was a challenging experience. I became totally immersed in the use of oil pastels to create these works. There came a time when I was saturated with this imagery; I could no longer focus so thoroughly on the multitude of forms I had been creating.
I took some time off then I began exploring heavy textural abstract works with inks, modeling paste and kitty litter. I worked on layered paper with the texture experimenting with inks I dripped over the surfaces to create ethereal figurative torsos. I used gouache over the landscape-based textural works, to create evocative color palettes with thin layers of semi-transparent dripped hues as I explored the southwest themes in an abstract voice.
After working abstractly for some time, I realized I had a need to work with a source image. I began to make paper pieces which I painted on canvas that are inspired by the hybrid human-like trees I discovered in Riverside Park and in Viareggio, Italy. As an artist, I needed to paint again this time with acrylic paint; I had to face the need to use an inhaler for my asthma condition, but I decided it was worth it to paint again. Over time I missed painting intensely.
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