BIO

BIO

I grew up in Fresno, California in an immigrant family dedicated to agriculture.  The land is a flat, dry expanse ringed with foothills and distant mountain ranges.   The climate is extremely hot for the growing season as well as harvest time.  Relief comes in the form of shade and an occasional breeze. One of my earliest memories was sitting the doorway of the barn with my grandmother using an abacus to tally boxes of picked produce.  It was always dark in the barn and the shadows there represented cool relief as well as opportunities for stories of Russia and travel from my grandmother.  If we were lucky enough to get a breeze, it turned into a great day. Air moving across the flat fields meant change: the temperature changed and shadows flickered.  Dust warmed the color of light.  Colors across the fields changed as foliage ruffled and bent. Moving air is something I try to represent in my paintings; just like trying to open a window to bring in a fresh breath of air.  

My childhood was full of activity which encouraged creativity. Sleeping outside in  the orchards in the summer with tents made of sheets gave lots of opportunity to imagine and play: creating castle battles and hunts for faeries. There was always paper and pencils for drawing as well as paint and brushes.  Drawing a picture became communication for older relatives that didn't speak English fluently as well as workers who often had no English at all. It helped the stories continue when we ran out of words. 

I left Fresno for education and work.  I've been fortunate be able to live and work outside of America for extended periods of time throughout my life. This afforded me a unique perspective of cultures and how elements of Art are translated so differently. I think of my time abroad as a visual "university of images" First of all my vision became vital because I was not always working in a language that I had fluency. I had to be able to notice minimal physical clues with my workers. This sensitivity did not shut off when I left the office at night.  You simply see more and notice more than you would have as a tourist.  I was able to see vistas in the cool light of Northern Europe and the warmer light of Southern Europe. I saw drama in shadows that I thought only existed in movies. I saw all the Western color rules broken in Japan, China and Korea. I saw space defined to infinity in rural African landscapes. I saw vast spaces become intimate with the use of light in South America. I saw oceans glow with colors I never thought existed. I saw the power of Art standing tearful in front of original paintings I had only seen in books before. It inspired me to paint and my roots provided the work ethic to deliver these visions no matter where I am.

I have returned to Fresno and have experienced both memories and change.  You can find me working most days in my studio.

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