As an artist my paintings reflect my community. They tell the story of my life, my friends, my garden and my secrets. I paint what I see. My Stargazer Lily painting was first a flower in my garden. The tomatoes in Harvest were grown from seeds planted by a friend. The wicker chair in Chaise was found in a dusty corner of my brother-in-law’s house on Martha’s Vineyard.
As my paintings are bought, the community expands. Chaise hangs in my friend’s house in northern Washington State. Hopefully its warm summer sunlight sustains her in the endless winter rain. Stargazer Lily was reproduced and sent to millions of households to raise money to support families struggling with autism. Dahlias and Daffodils raised funds to buy open space that my grandchildren will enjoy.
For an artist a strong and supportive community is critical. We spend so much time alone struggling to capture the nuances of reflected light, someone’s character reflected in their eyes, or the hundreds of shades of white. The community gets us outside of ourselves. It stimulates us to dig deeper into our soul and use our talents to build connections between people.
The Internet is an incredible gift. It helps us create communities without the constraints of time and space. Thanks to the web and email newsletters I am able to expand my community, to meet new people and share my art. Please join me on my journey.
