The Artist

I was born and raised in the South. My father was an avid outdoorsman. My maternal grandmother was a farmer, a gardener and a conservationist. My childhood vacations revolved around Jacks River, TN; the Ogeechee River, GA ; and Highlands, NC. The experiences that I encountered in childhood created a deep love and respect for Nature. This connection to Nature is the wellspring of inspiration for my work. My paintings are based on the expression of the human condition in metaphysical, and often, surreal forms. The paintings make synchronistic connections, as Jung described it, from the subconscious to natural and man-made forms encountered in my conscious, daily experiences. I believe that art expresses the symbolic forms of the intuitive connection to significant places and things that represent the human experience.

People value, purchase and collect art not just for monetary gain, or social status. They respond and connect to a work of art for the story, the connection or the communication that the work conveys to them. Through painting I strive to express a story, a feeling, an emotional mood to the viewer.

I choose to work in oils because of the luminosity and flow of this medium. I usually start my canvas with a primary color laid down in acrylic.The final work is then composed of many layers of paint, scumbling and glaze. The references to my subject matter comes from sketches and/or photographs created on location or in the studio. The people whose work I admire the most, although there are so many artists whose work moves me a great deal, are Georgia O'keeffe, Edward Hopper, Caravaggio, René Magritte Ansel Adams, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

I received a BA degree with an emphasis on studio art and a MAEd. I am a retired art educator and a former art administrator, now living and working in Highlands, NC, with my husband, Patrick Taylor, also an artist and a potter, and Zoë, our beloved dog. I have maintained an active exhibition record at national and regional levels. My work has received recognition and awards and is included in private and corporate collections.