“Nature Closeup,” artwork blends patterns in tide-marks, colors of sea grass as well as layers of the earth to express soulful, ethereal design using various paint applications.

Raised in the country, I have closely observed earth’s formations which has become a thematic influence in my work. Microscopic images are expanded 1000%, using mediums of chalk pastels, oil, acrylic paint, string and gold leaf.

Inspired by old growth forests, desert landscapes and west coast beaches, my desire is to share a visually healing meditation on environmental beauty.

“Strata" chalk pastels are about recording nature, not from a replica view, but from capturing a sense of the earth’s effervesce energy.

The beauty of the air or atmosphere around sky, water and landforms are translated to pastel paper through layers of chalk pastel.

Raised in the country, I have closely observed earth’s formations which has become a thematic influence in my work. Microscopic images are expanded 1000%, using pastel mediums.

Meditation and calm enters my soul, capturing not only what I see, but what I feel.

Ancient vessels and their myths are juxtaposed against powerful, present day female imagery.

The concept of women as a goddesses, is close to the surface in the “Women As Vessels” series. The issue of female gender in these artworks is insightful, whimsical, powerful and often humorous.

“Women As Vessels” series revisits ancient pottery images and converts these forms into modern day statements. Images of urns and vessels transform into metaphors for the female figure.

Historians have long acknowledge early societies, such as Minoan and Mycenaean cultures, where women were worshiped as goddesses. Over the years, I have made four extensive research trips to the anthropologic sites of Santorini, Greece.

Here, I closely studied ancient museums artifacts, some over 10,000 years old. Exhibited were functioning wine and oil containers some with narrow swan necks flowing out of voluminous clay bodies. Urns contain illustrated details such as women’s breasts and nipples.

These wine containers functioned as metaphors for women who nourished their babies with breast milk to keep them alive. In ancient days, these vessels were a powerful, symbolic metaphor for women as “goddesses.” I have “revisited” this concept to create my “Women As Vessels” series.

“Women As Vessels” is a large body of work created with a variety of mediums, including oil encaustic, acrylics, graphite, gold leaf, lace collage, rubbings and mono-prints. Red lips, jeweled hands and high heeled feet, sprout out of ancient pottery sharing humorous images that is both half women and half vessel.

This successful series has been exhibited widely in both US and Canada and speaks to antiquity and archeology; from ancient days to the powerful, modern woman of today.