There are unknown forces within nature; when we give ourselves wholly to her, without reserve, she lends them to us; she shows us those forms, which our watching eyes do not see, which intelligence does not understand or suspect. ~Auguste Rodin

Born and raised in suburban New York, the area taught me valuable lessons but I always felt restless and displaced and never felt a sense of home deep in my soul. A whole new world opened when I moved to Vermont. I’ll always be a New Yorker but the joy and beauty, the quality of the specialness that is recognized as Vermont brings me home.

Coming out of the New York art scene of the eighties, schooled in Abstract Expressionism I was prodded to go to the Vermont Studio Center by my painting professor at Hunter College, Emily Mason. I resisted the idea of leaving New York. In a weak moment in 1987 I accepted an offer to try out VSC and have been forever changed. Trying to be part of the New York art scene caused my work to be bland and androgynous. It took years to break out of the darkness and the Vermont alchemy to work its magic and allow my feminine side out. It felt awkward at first but very freeing and transformational.

This work is a result of the letting go process, reflecting changes in my life. Once established the flow continues. I work in series. The images do not relate directly to viewed experiences but my cellular memory recordings in my brain and heart of these experiences in nature. I take in information on all levels, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. The energy that nature creates lives dormant in my body before it comes out my hands.

There are a lot of dichotomies involved in this work, as in life. It’s about knowing everything and knowing nothing. It’s about connecting to that inner place that is familiar and comfortable with these opposites and working from there. It’s about struggle and it’s about ease and flow. It’s complex yet it’s so simple.

Vermont has led me down many unexplored paths, overwhelming illness, the metaphysical, healing, animal communication, druidry, being one with nature. It’s all here in the work.

Wander through the images, get lost in nature and enjoy yourself.