Drawing and painting was always a source of pleasure and satisfaction, whereas being a performer somehow wrapped itself around my identity to the point that if I didn't succeed at it surely I would DIE!!! Twisted though this my sound, clearly becoming an actor was my Raison d'être from adolescence and well into adulthood.
Like most of my New York based peer group I spent a great deal of time (and money) in acting class, voice lessons and therapy, peeling the proverbial psyche-onion. In the course of those explorations I came to terms with the reasons I became a performer; much of it a healthy extension of natural talent, passion and exuberance, peppered with equal parts low self esteem and a penchant for drama. I also discovered as I "matured" a developing confluence between my work as a performer and my pursuits as a visual artist, photographer and writer. I am summoned by all of these disciplines, sometimes simultaneously, depending on the task at hand, the story asking to be told.
All of this is a really drawn out way of saying 'I like to paint!' But since this is the first entry of a new blogspot I thought I'd provide a brief description of who I am and what brought me here. An artist's journey is rarely a linear path. I've had a career as a performer that has taken me around the world several times and I've always had either a paintbrush or my camera by my side.
This past November, after completing an exceptionally daunting 3-month contract on a cruise ship working as a port lecturer, I did what I usually do when I disembark the ship and fly home: drop my bags and whip out the comfiest pair of jams I own and convalesce beneath my Slanket, nursing giant mugs of coffee. Soon however the the build up of creative magma acquired while onboard the ship: color, words, images, songs, ideas, stories, jokes, rage and dreams, all beg for release...just in time for a holiday trunk show!
This past weekend my sister, Brenda, and I joint-hosted an exhibition/trunk show at the Carlisle Historical Society's artisan gift shop. Brenda's work consisted exquisite one of a kind handmade jewelry. When I'm in a state of post-ship euphoria/shock I find it hard to reel myself in and create within a single through line, so my contribution was a mixture of original paintings, prints, photography and limited edited decorative boxes. The common thread to my work was the bold and undiluted use of color in my paintings. I have always admired the work of the modernist painter and illustrator Rockwell Kent. Like the subject matter for which he was renown, I chose winter landscapes as my theme, using a cool and relatively limited color palette.
Above: Acrylic on Canvas 11x14
Above: Decorative Box, Acrylic on wood 4x4
Above: Mixed Media on paper 8x10, available as a greeting card
Digital Mixed Media Greeting Card 4"x6"
Carlisle PA: Pure Americana in the best sense of the word!
It felt great to throw myself into a creative project with a deadline! Our work remains in the gallery on consignment:
History On High - Cumberland County Historical Society, 21 North Pitt Street, Carlisle, PA
