Artist Statement

In my years as a visual artist I have chosen symbolic forms that are both universal and personal to express the idea of “time.” Often I use nests, eggs, marine creatures, and one-celled organisms. They are symbols for natural phenomenas that manifest this notion of time. I have reinterpreted these forms in states of birth and decay, remnants of our primeval past and our endangered future. My visual vocabulary is derived from many sources, some are apparent, some are obscure. Most are abstractions to allow the viewer to ponder the creatures and events or the possible patterns they embody.

It is a privilege to be close to the natural world. After college I traveled to South America, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and England to study the history of glass, ancient civilizations, and the natural world. Those adventures have informed my work and inspired me to keep a journal with drawings, notes, found objects, and specimens.

After graduate school, I started a small business making glass beads and jewelry. Currently, many of the subjects of my work, both in painting and in glass, reside in Bonaire about ten feet under the Caribbean Sea. I have been a volunteer “reef surveyor” for Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (bonaireturtles.org). During this scientific study I am a “spotter” of sea turtles and a variety of marine creatures. This allows me to gather mental images and ponder the many species of coral that exist in the underwater world, noting both their abundance and condition. It allows me to focus on threatened or endangered species. After seeing a specific sea creature, I do a painting from memory. In this way, I can carefully examine a specimen taking note of its habitat and the environmental challenges it faces. Ultimately, what I study is reinterpreted in glass, jewelry, and now in paintings on paper. The ever-changing seascape and creatures are the subjects, and I marvel at the minute details, textures, and movements. Through my art, I visually capture an iconic creature engage viewers and remind them of our fragile marine environment.

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Education

1985
Mt. Royal Graduate School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
M.F.A. in Painting

1982
Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Elkins Park, PA
B.F.A. in Glass

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Awards & Honors

2005
Leeway Foundation Window of Opportunity Grant

2002
Artist in Residence, PA Council for the Arts

2000
Belber Award for Jewelry

1993
Woodmere Museum – Sculpture

1988
Philadelphia Dresses the World – Jewelry

1986
PA Council for the Arts – Visual Arts

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Bibliography

Publications

2004
"1000 Glass Beads"

"Beads of Glass"

2000
"Art Glass from Urban Glass"

1998
Ornament Magazine

Glass Magazine

Exhibitions

Solo‍

2004
Drifters and Wanderers, Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, PA

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Group‍

2018
National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, PA

2016
Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA

2014
Gravers Lane Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2012
Glass Invitational 2012, Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, NJ

2009
Reflections in Glass, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA

2008
It's All About the Beads, Pismo Glass Gallery, Denver, CO

2001
Materials: Hard and Soft, Denton Museum, Denton, TX

2000
Focus on Glass: The Challenge, Gallery East, Loveland, CO

Beadwork in America 2000, Haydon Gallery, Haydon, NE

1999
Contemporary Beads from America, Ebeltoft Glasmuseum, Denmark

1996
Beadwork Beyond Boundaries, Denton Museum, Denton, TX

Contemporary Jewelry Show, Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY

1986 - 1989
As Good As Gold Contemporary Jewelry, Renwick Museum, Washington, D.C.