Artist Statement

For me, painting is an expression of what I don’t know about myself — so a discovery process. The act — the making, is the engaging coordination of mind/body that, when unfiltered by judgment, takes on a life of its own. The result, as a static “done” thing, is always surprising to me: it doesn’t look like what I was feeling or thinking or maybe it does, but other people see it entirely differently.

What am I discovering?

I am learning that there is more about me. The usual tool,” Valerie,” groomed to function practically in the world, is a kind of good-ole-workhorse; predictable, reliable, a known quantity, but not particularly unique in any way. The other, “Lulu”; more complex, less sure, more spontaneous, illogical, is able to safely explore and express through painting.

Living and working in the Vashon Island, WA beachside cabin I grew up in as a child, I am inspired by nature’s beauty that surrounds me. I view the natural world as the lifesource which is boundless and ever-giving, generously offering it’s gifts to anyone who cares to notice. I notice and am awe-struck. Whether it’s the birds, the sea, the growing things — they are constant and they are changing, all of the time — comforting and interesting.