My travel between cultures such as Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Peru and India was a jolt to my senses and a stimulant for creativity. In the Yunnan, my inspiration comes from the high cheekboned, tawny, tribal beauties carrying their babies swaddled in bold red and yellow papooses near the firelight of the Harvest Festival.

 

In Yangon we saw the giant Buddha and the towering pagodas of gold amidst the drone of scarlet-robed, chanting monks. In Began, temples appear to be borne of the earth, and in the market are mounds of vibrant aromatic spices and stacks of jewel-tone silks.

 

The jungles of Anghor Wat reverberate with the song of cicadas and the whispering calls of night birds. Tiny flames in pots of oil are reflected in the waters of Tonie Sap at dusk. Riding in low-slung boats, women in traditional conical hats gather small scurrying fish in nets.

 

The patchwork fields of Cusco in shades of green and terra cotta rise to the horizon and a sky of cerulean blue. In Machu Picchu, the ruins of a civilization are embraced by blue sugarloaf mountains which at sunrise are glimpsed through the clouds and mist.

 

As an abstract painter, my paintings are a reflection of these journeys. The paintings’ textures are composed of exotic papers, rubbings, encaustic and acrylic and oil on canvas. In using modern, handmade papers along with remnants of ancient cultures, the present becomes layered with the past. Color, form and texture are used to convey the language of my mind on canvas. Thick paint and raised surfaces signify the connectedness of the spirit with the tangible world. These paintings are meditations on how the simple moments of beauty and time connect me with the inner spirit of creativity.