Art: seeing, listening, responding

When I was five, my late godmother, Ellie (an artist) told me, “If you’re bored, that’s your own fault, there is always something to be making or doing.” She then pulled out a jar, crammed with saved twisty ties, and together we built a castle across her kitchen counter. I try to live my life by her example. Drawing, painting, sculpting, and storytelling challenge “boredom,” a state I now recognize as apathy and isolation. What ties together my many creative disciplines, is a desire to be an active participant in this world. I want to really see what is around me, to listen with my heart, and to respond with my whole body.

I practice seeing by drawing or painting the land and the people around me. Interpreting my surroundings allows me to touch with my eyes, to feel the roughness of distant mountains or the intensity of someone’s gaze. I practice listening when I illustrate words, interpret an abstract experience with form and color, or open up to the story someone shares with me in an interview. I practice responding by painting public murals, creating performances with masks and puppets, and facilitating workshops that encourage connection and community.

I look forward to responding to you - to your desire for beauty, need for artistic interpretation, or goal to express and connect creatively.