Statement

One of my earliest forays into art was drawing Donald Duck and his family. I whiled away hours at a desk in my bedroom capturing them on stiff Manila paper. It was the pleasure I took in drawing and being alone that sparked my interest in becoming an artist. I loved feeling creative. Making art was a way of building worlds of my own design.

My paintings often explore where the inner world of spirit and feeling and the outer landscape intersect. I cover the surface of the paintings with similar brushstrokes or draw hundreds of ovals. The meditative quality of this process sustains me as I relax into a groove. I’ve painted sunflowers on snowy nights, flowers layered with constellations, targets with the names of students killed as a result of gun violence, the ancient tabernacle in Jerusalem.

My sculptures reflect my desire to make a difference in the world. Trash Tower addressed the problem of roadside litter. White House tackled Donald Trump’s obliteration of democratic norms. Dear Carol/ Love Ola Mae reminds us of the possibility of reparation. Ola Mae was our maid in Fitchburg in 1958. I was mortified that my working class friends would discover we had a maid and assume we were rich. I hardly talked to her. When I was in my 40s I apologized, and we began a 24 year correspondence. I’ve now turned her letters into a 9 foot high hanging tower.

I’ve been an artist for over 7 decades. While the worlds I’ve created have changed, my commitment to my practice has remained strong.