I
have always considered my art and my life as one source. I knew I
wanted to be an artist before I even knew what the word meant. I can
remember as a child my mother giving me my first coloring book. I
can remember being so excited by the colors of the crayons - that
influences my work, I think, even to this day. Outside employment
or events that are non-artistic have always formed my art as well, being
that my work has realistic subject matter - subjects taken from my own
life and surroundings. As I wrote earlier, I consider my art and my life
as one. My mature influences have come from great masters such as
Degas and Vermeer. I admire Degas for his great draughtsmanship,
which I feel is paramount. I love Vermeer's use of subject matter,
color and also great draughtsmanship. The materials I use are
chiefly pencil for my drawings and egg tempera for my paintings. I
love pencil for its directness and simplicity. For my paintings I
embrace egg tempera for its color and its kindness to artists who love
to draw and tackle technical challenges, as I do.
Besides five
years I lived in Pennsylvania I have spent my life in Detroit, Michigan.
I was born and raised and graduated from art school in Detroit.
Art school ws important to me; it made being an artist, to my mind, a
real possibility. Being in an artistic environment helped to mold
my art, making it a reality....a reality that has given my life value
and significance over the years."
