I decided to combine my love of traveling and teaching following an art education trip to the culturally rich region of Oaxaca, Mexico. My career in both art education and technology has been enriched at international schools around the world. During my 15 years living in Mali, Tunisia, Serbia, India, and South Korea, I have deliberately sought opportunities to become intimately familiar with their people and arts traditions.
I seek to document and preserve enduring images of traditional life through art, photography, online travelogues, and video footage. They are a record of unique cultures which should not be forgotten. I primarily focus on portraiture in my artwork and am particularly drawn to elderly people; their worn faces and traditional clothing beg a story to be told. The unpretentious dignity of these people’s lives, the value they place on family, community, hard work and respect are worthy of emulation.
Utilizing personal photos enables me to capture important details I would otherwise miss while painting or drawing, since I have a visual disability. Although painful, stiff fingers from rheumatoid arthritis sometimes limits the amount of painting or drawing I can do, I am grateful that God continues to grant me the ability to create. Being able to combine different methods, or to switch from one medium to another, enables me to express my visions despite any difficulties I experience physically. I use color pencils when I want to depict fine details and pastels when desiring smooth soft textures. Watercolor materials are limited to a small palette of colors, water, and two brushes. By patiently layering colors, no matter what the medium, I achieve a translucency that reveals an interplay of light and shadows.
I truly believe that my experience traveling, my experience teaching, and my experience observing culture has been a multiplier for my passion for art, both enjoying and creating. It is by the Grace of God that I am able to help ensure that images I witness can be enjoyed by many for years to come.
I seek to document and preserve enduring images of traditional life through art, photography, online travelogues, and video footage. They are a record of unique cultures which should not be forgotten. I primarily focus on portraiture in my artwork and am particularly drawn to elderly people; their worn faces and traditional clothing beg a story to be told. The unpretentious dignity of these people’s lives, the value they place on family, community, hard work and respect are worthy of emulation.
Utilizing personal photos enables me to capture important details I would otherwise miss while painting or drawing, since I have a visual disability. Although painful, stiff fingers from rheumatoid arthritis sometimes limits the amount of painting or drawing I can do, I am grateful that God continues to grant me the ability to create. Being able to combine different methods, or to switch from one medium to another, enables me to express my visions despite any difficulties I experience physically. I use color pencils when I want to depict fine details and pastels when desiring smooth soft textures. Watercolor materials are limited to a small palette of colors, water, and two brushes. By patiently layering colors, no matter what the medium, I achieve a translucency that reveals an interplay of light and shadows.
I truly believe that my experience traveling, my experience teaching, and my experience observing culture has been a multiplier for my passion for art, both enjoying and creating. It is by the Grace of God that I am able to help ensure that images I witness can be enjoyed by many for years to come.
