from: https://www.paperworks.info/meetups/j3fv67wnxesha46gqqo93wjb9bkcuj

I came to Tucson in the mid 80’s as I began the MFA program in theatre at the U of A. And while I began the journey of fine tuning the craft of acting I also began the visual journey of finding paper, the everyday detritus of litter & mail and whatever I could find and began collaging in sketchbooks. This was the beginning of my informal education into the world of ripping, tearing and cutting, creating shape and space, line and texture. Putting aside an acting career I found working in this visual realm a lot less stressful. The journey since those early days has been unusual as I discovered along the way my own agenda of what I wanted to learn in this creative act. I jumped into assemblage for a while and sculpture and encaustic. I then moved into abstract painting classes at the Drawing Studio, eventually I found oil pastels my preferred medium. However, I never quit collaging as it informed my oil pastel & sculpture. There is something about the construction of paper collage I find magical. I have been accepted into the Arizona biennial twice with large format paper collage. I continue to discover new and unusual ways of using non-traditional paper materials, and incorporating this into composition. It’s a thrill to impart the discoveries I’ve made and the magic of paper to others.