My Story
I was born in central Illinois and grew up on a farm. I was always creative, making things and later painting scenes. The landscape of the Midwest farmland is very flat. On the distant horizon I could see the small shapes of the buildings of the neighboring farms.The beauty of the Midwestern sky has always inspired me. The geometric shapes of farm buildings: the squares, rectangles, cylinders, and triangular shapes juxtaposed against the sky with the regulated nature of the crops have always influenced the way I view the world.
When I went to college, I intended to study to become an Art teacher. However, I decided on concentrating on fine art when I became acquainted with the work of Dr. Harold Gregor. His paintings featured the type of things that I grew up with: Corn cribs, hedge rows, the vast flat landscape of crop lines receding into the distance with the big sky of Illinois as a backdrop. His art inspired me to pursue an art career. I finished my B.F.A. degree in 1979 and went on to graduate school in collaboration with the Brooklyn Museum Art School on a Max Beckman Fellowship. After that year, I decided to stay on in Brooklyn. My future husband and I moved into a former factory building in the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn where we could live and have our own art studios as well. My husband renovated the space and we joined the ranks of the many artist/waiters of N.Y.C. In walking around Brooklyn, I noticed how the sky interacts with the buildings, water towers, and church spires in a way similar to my experiences of Illinois. That became a theme in my artwork: Juxtaposing the manmade with the natural. After many years of waitressing and working in virtual isolation, I realized that I needed the feedback of other artists in order to grow as an artist. I enrolled in Brooklyn College's M.F.A. program. While there, I studied with renowned artist Lois Dodd. After graduating, upon the advise of another graduate student, I became a substitute teacher and I took classes in Education to earn a teaching license. Shortly afterward, I got a job teaching in a NYC public high school. I taught in Brooklyn and Queens for more than 20 years. During all those years, I kept producing art and I also grew as an artist by teaching it. And I was able to continue showing my art in various galleries. Now that I'm retired I'm going to dedicate the rest of my life producing and showing my art.
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2020 "Watercolor U.S.A." Spring field, Missouri, group show
2019 "Visual Sites", Iona Gallery, Brooklyn, one woman show
2016 "Working in N.Y.C. - 27 Artists" Central Connecticut State University Art Gallery, New Britain, Conn.
2012 "Show/04", T.A.P.S. Gallery, Brooklyn
2008 "Six on Tenth", Pen and Brush Gallery, N.Y.C., group show
2006 "Watercolor U.S.A.", Springfield, Museum of Art, Springfield, Missouri
2004 "The 69th Annual Cooperstown National Juried Show", Cooperstown, N.Y.
2003 "Salon", The Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, Brooklyn,
2002 "Salon", Williams Art and Historical Society, Brooklyn
2002 "Watercolor U.S.A.", Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, Missouri
2002 "The Small Works Show", The Grey Gallery, NYC
2000 "The 175 Annual Exhibition", The National Academy of Design, NYC
2000 "Salon" The Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
1999 "Industry's Architecture", Pfizer Plant/Rotunda Gallery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
1998 "Artworks 98" Cork Gallery, Avery Fisher Hall, NYC
1997 "Group Show", First Light Gallery, NYC
1996 "The 171st. Annual Exhibition", The National Academy of Design, NYC
1996 "The Lyrical, the Expressionistic and the Poetic", Denise Bibro Fine Arts, NYC
1995 "N.Y. Soho Biennial-Soul in C Minor", 450 Broadway, NYC
1995 "National Juried Show", Bowery Gallery,NYC
1992 "The 17th National Open Competitive Exhibition", The Print Club of Albany
1992 "The Salon of Mating Spiders", Test Site Gallery, Brooklyn, group show
1991,"The Salon of Mating Spiders", Test Site Gallery, Brooklyn
1990 "A Combination of Two", Mankato State University, Mankato, Minn.
1988 "Five Artists", The Greg Gallery, The National Arts Club, NYC
1985 "The 10th Annual Scholastic Competition", The National Arts Club
1985 "Monotypes" The National Academy of Design
1985 "Group Show", Minor Injury Gallery, Brooklyn
1984 "Group Show", A Place Apart Gallery, Brooklyn
1982 "Alumni Show", The Brooklyn Museum Art School, Brooklyn
1981 "Solo Exhibition", The Little Gallery at the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn
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Solo Exhibitions"
1991 "Ambient Gallery", Port Jefferson, NY
1981 "Visual Sites", The Little Gallery at the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn
2019 "Visual Sights", Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY.
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Awards:
1996 Certificate of Merit, The National Academy of Design
1993 The Charles G. Shaw Award, Brooklyn College
1985 The Sally Stengel Memorial Award, The National Arts Club
!979 The Max Beckman Award, The Brooklyn Museum Art School
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Publications:
1997 "Two Centuries of Artists' Views" Fund for the Borough of Brooklyn
1996 "America the Beautiful and Diverse" New York Daily News
1995 "NY Soho Biennial "95"​​
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Statement of Intent
These paintings depict everyday scenes from my neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. On account of the desolation of the area, trees take on as much of a landmark status as the Manhattan skyscrapers in the distance. These kind of configurations are common to American working-class neighborhoods where there is mixed industrial/ residential use.
Of particular interest to me is the way the configurations of shapes comprise both a formal and a symbolic relationship. For example, in one of my images "Pipe," a tree is shown growing between two fuel storage tanks. The formal relationship of shapes infers a symbolic relationship. The loosely structured tree seems pinched by the roller-like shapes of the storage tanks, yet at the same time, the tree is framed rather than confined. Nature's life persists in spite of the inhospitable environment of industrial man.
The juxtapositions in my images are not always stated as simply as natural versus manmade.There are contrasts of shapes and patterns and in some images, the spatial information contradicts and contrasts. But whetehr the juxtaposition is through space, form, or image reference, I mean for it to be quietly and pleasingly surprising rather than jarring. Through the balanced combination of incongruous elements, I hope to suggest a higher order. These normally disparate elements become metaphors describing the underlying connectedness of all things.
My work does have social relevance. I endeavor to express reverence for life and give a message of hope especially for a working class neighborhood like Williamsburg where beauty and harmony is not easily evident.