Tell me about yourself, where you live and your background/lifestyle.

The first artistic experiences I recall were of great
crashing dream symphonies which woke me up. The next was when I was out
running in the backyard and I spied the sky and the clouds moving
against the roof. The power of it knocked me down to my knees. I ran in
and asked my mother, "does the sky move or does the house move?" I hated
playing girl games, dolls and dresses. I was the female knight of The
Round Table:loyal and true,a Joan of Arc figure. I would go to Mass with
my Catholic grandmother. Letting her walk ahead of me, I would dip my
fingers in the holy water at the entrance and put the water in my mouth
hoping that a golden aura would appear around my head like the
gilt-edged saints in books. I was the youngest of two children born to
Midwestern pragmatic, conservative parents. Some of my mother's family
were farmers,pioneers in this county from England and others were
Swedish immigrants. My father's family were all businesspeople for many
generations. Art did have value in my family as I am related to the
American Western artist Frederic Remington. I was given books, materials
and encouragement. I'm afraid they could not always understand my
devotion to art and they worried that it would lead to an unhappy life
for me when I grew up. I'm lucky enough to have them both still
alive.They have been incredibly supportive and proud of my efforts which
has been a miraculously beautiful blessing to me. For the last year,
I've been going insanely sane again. After many years of working
full-time and trying to advance an art career, I just got plumb sick of
it all. I happily resigned my last workplace and began doing
oddjobs,giving art therapy groups and working toward a major exhibition.
From that, I got some sales coming in and then was offered a
mural/facade design project. So that's the way it's been. I'm actually
spending more time with art than anything else. I resigned the art
therapy so for the first time in seventeen years I'm not doing a social
service job of any kind. I got tired of the tear-down of cigarettes so I
quit them. When I hear about some kind of new medium, I think "I want to
try that." For several years I spent time reviewing the-roads-not-taken
in my life and felt a sort of inconsolable grief over never having
children because I love them so. However recently I've come to see how
divided energies probably would have made me desperately unhappy. I like
this fairly simple life of singular purpose. (here's an optional add-on
in case this is too long) An excerpt from my exhibition statement in
1988:"Cavortive Drawing is the pedantic and the unbridled...I could
never understand why I wasn't a professional woman with a briefcase. I
really wanted to be more proper. Tsk. Tsk. As time rolled by, I began to
find why my journeys through life were necessary. The serious student
and the wild woman became one human being and life was great."

Who first influenced you artistically?

I had a book of poetry as a young child with Miro type
illustrations which touched me deeply. They were like waking dreams:
gloriously playful and challenging. The movie The Wizard of Oz made an
impression on me with the power of nature and the story's non-human
characters both kind and malevolent. Saint Saens' Carnival of the
Animals in that animals could be portrayed in music. I especially liked
the Aquarium-so full of mystery. I looked forward to seeing the latest
Norman Rockwell illustration on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.
What grabbed me was how he conveyed the feeling of the moment in the
picture. I would study each face in each illustration as well as the
backgrounds. As I got a bit older Picasso became my major hero and I
transformed myself into a Picasso trivia expert. The way his work
evolved and grew with his expanding knowledge excited me. I worshipped
the way he broke boundaries. In my mind there never will be a work which
conveys the horrors of war as eloquently as Guernica

What first attracted you to the Internet?

I first got onto the Internet as part of a business deal
with someone who likes my work. I ended up backing out of the deal but I
am so happy for the push! I had thrown getting into it around in my mind
and footdragged on making a decision. I had realistic concerns about
not adding to my monthly debts but now that I'm here, there's no going
back let me tell you! This is a supreme adventure.

What kind of artwork do you expect to be doing in the next 12 months
or so?

In the next 12 months, I plan to expand my work further. I'm
really excited about doing ceramic tile work. I like it as much as I
like to draw. I purchased some pour molds for low-fire clay and plan to
make some pour molds of my own design as well as press molds for higher
firing clays. Making my own glazes is up the road too. I have samples at
a decorator and am just waiting to do some wonderful installations. I
have great dreams of creating these playful calming environmental works
either through decorators or on my own. I also plan to learn mold making
for concrete tiles and figures from my drawings. I've started doing alot
of floral work in my drawings too based on the concept of the desire to
grow and thrive. The wild flowers are beginning to bloom and I'm really
ready to get out and gather some ideas. I'm coming to the completion of
the mural/facade design which may create new possibilities for public art
for me. Recently on PBS, I saw a garden inspired by a Bach piece created
in an open downtown space. The possibility of mixing mediums such as tile
work, murals, sculptural work and plant life to create an inspring urban
environment would be overwhelmingly exciting. In terms of drawing I
recently purchased a huge drafting table which opens the boundaries of
size for me. One opportunity which I have not found yet is the chance to
illustrate a really magnetic story. I keep hoping. I'm absolutely dying
to animate my artwork but that would require a new computer and
software. It's the typical artists' predicament of not having the
necessary finances but I remain optimistic on that too.

Have you found other artists on the Internet like yourself?

I would be disappointed to find another artist on the Web
like me. Then I'd have to zig another direction! What I have found is
other artists with the same spirit as me. I've done research projects in
my effort to expand and have been lucky enough to find other artists who
were willing to share information and thoughts. This has meant a great
deal to me. Perhaps it is the fact that we are not geographically close
and thus are no threat to each other? I feel disillusioned at times with
nasty competitive artists with whom I can't even carry on a normal
conversation. Through the Web I feel I've connected with some artists
who have the same commitment level and who are on the same quest that I
am. I have an automatic respect level for such people no matter if I
automatically comprehend or go crazy over their work. We walk the same
path which makes me willing to listen and appreciate even if my mode of
expression is much different. Art is a noble pursuit and I like to think
that some of these artists see things in the same larger perspective I
do. I know a precious few like this locally.

Is there anything about the way you produce your work that you
believe to be unique or unusual?

People often ask how long it takes to do my prismacolor
pieces. Who counts the hours I happily spend working away with my cats
for tender funny company and some good music or rich informative program
to listen to? Crosshatching to build up color is the best form of
meditation I know; like repeating a mantra or prayer over and over and
over again. Indeed sometimes I have to remind myself when I'm finished.
I think through things, I plan, I think about nothing at all sometimes
but I've never known anything as calming or restive as this. When I'm
impatient I know something in my mind isn't working correctly. I'm
worried, scared or anxious and so I put that right and go on.

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