A native Californian, I have studied art in New York, at the School of Visual Arts; in Florence, Italy, at the Fine Arts Academy; and at the University of California at Berkeley.  In New York, and later in Italy, I began carrying around a sketchbook, constantly drawing both the natural and the built environment around me.  Studies of Italian medieval buildings led me to pursue a graduate degree in architecture and a career as an architect.  My art has developed alongside my work as an architect, and has been informed by many years spent both studying and designing buildings.  Although my artwork is no longer based on architectural images, I am often drawn to surfaces that reflect the roughness of a stone wall or the patterns created by light as it filters through an open window.

I now spend my days in my studio, high up on a steep hill.  There, among the treetops, I love to watch how the light changes and is reflected on the nearby hills.  My paintings are inspired by these surroundings and abstracted to reflect the warm glow of a late afternoon in summer or the clear, crisp air of a winter morning.  I create the paintings in layers, starting on a textured surface with fissures and grit that remind me of the stony hills.  Over that surface, I pour thin layers of paint.  These thin washes seep into the crevices and create random patterns and drips, reminiscent of tangled branches and weathered walls.  Over this surface I apply additional layers to bring out the varied colors and patterns of light and shadow.  I place paint on top in some areas and wipe it away in others to reveal the layers below.  Recent paintings have incorporated other media, including ink and pastel, and collage elements such as paper and leaves.  It is a process of building up and taking away that continues until the painting is complete.