.Artist Statement- Encaustic Fresco

My current work is influenced by ancient cultures and techniques. I am combining encaustic wax, which is a 2000-year-old Egyptian paint medium, with venetian lime plaster techniques used in Renaissance fresco painting.

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I became fascinated by the patinas and textures of old French village walls and doors during cycling trips my husband and I now take.  I love the patterns and rich patinas created by layers of paint, plaster and stone. When I learned that Venetian painters used wax on top of their surfaces, I knew I had to experiment with lime plaster and encaustic.

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I believe that materials have spirit. Ancient walls tell stories and breathe a history. I hope my art creates that sense of being, and ancient old world beauty.

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Artist Statement- Visual Anthropologies​

From 2016-2026 I focused on portrait painting, and was influenced by the Fayum Mummy encaustic funery portraits, which are 2000 years old. These "Visual Anthropologies" typically honor women who have defied traditional female roles. I have series on “Native Women Warriors,” “Protest Singers,” and the “FLY GIRLS” which celebrates the WWII WASP, the Women Air Force Service Pilots, who were forgotten by history. 

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​In 2016 I left the world of consumer marketing and research and started painting people. I’d always been interested in anthropology. My career in consumer marketing frequently took an anthropological approach.  We conducted ‘ethnographies,’ observing how people lived and shopped.”  I moved to Germany in 2016 and started observational urban sketching.  I  discovered European encaustics and studied with master artists in various countries.

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In 2019 I returned to America and began researching indigenous American women. I discovered the stories of Native Warrior Women who protected their land and families. Euro-American culture perpetuates a fictional “princess” stereotype of native women, yet many fought lockstep with men and became highly respected leaders. "Native Women Warriors was my first 'American' anthropology, and this series was featured on 10 Nashville billboards during the pandemic, in early 2020, to inspire resilience."