 | About the Art...My Official Artist Statement:
I’ve been painting and doing art for many years, but my education and professional work history are in scientific disciplines. My degree is in Biology and I spent 4 1/2 years working in a crime lab. I have a deep appreciation for scientific methods and environmentalism and my background has affected both the content and the style of my work.
There are many other influences and interests that also shape the direction of my work- philosophy, psychology, mythology, symbolism, feminism, sociopolitical issues, pop culture, current events, and my personal life (some pieces are autobiographical in nature). I spent years (at the lab) examining things very closely to isolate increasingly smaller bits of information. I think this led to a love of layers. I like using scraps of typewritten paper and pictures under a layer of tissue and paint so you have to look really closely to see it. Sometimes these bits have information relating to the content of the painting, but often they don’t.
I like imagery that is visually striking but also conveys a mood. I like a little ugliness mixed with my beauty. And I like stories. I have a rebellious nature and for that reason, I’ve started using some craft products in my paintings (tissue paper, glitter, felt, stencils). I’m also intrigued by the interaction of seemingly unconnected and/or meaningless items and symbols- I think it contributes an element of surrealism (and existentialism) to a piece.
My goal is to create the artistic equivalent to mole sauce- a perfectly balanced and complicated mixture of numerous elements consisting of form, line, composition, color interactions, lightness and darkness, texture, layers, media, mood/emotion, meaning, and little visual details. I want to cause a reaction on all the parts of a persons’ mental tongue.
One of the themes I’ve chosen to focus on in my current body of work is animals- many are endangered species, while some are common, domesticated or even mythological. I’m interested in exploring human/animal relationships, from both a psychological and an ecological perspective. (And ofcourse, I’m doing this with a left-leaning political slant.) My hope is to inspire an appreciation for biodiversity, while evoking delight in the visual elements and emotion in response to the content.
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 | All About me (my Bio)
I was born and
raised in Burlingame, CA, which is a suburb of San Francisco for those
of you who aren't familiar with the area. It was the 70's. We wore
plaid. You wouldn't believe the pants I was wearing in this photo-
green, mustard, and orange plaid. That was back when anyone who put in
an honest day's work could afford a house in Burlingame and moms could
afford to stay home and tend to their families if they wanted to.
Teachers could buy houses! Crazy.
...So after a bunch of years of school, beach barbeques, family outings,
bickering, wierd music, and food that was wierd at the time but
perfectly common now, I became an adult. That was followed by some more
years of school, beach barbeques (with different people), and wierd
music (mine this time, not my parents'). And for most of those
years, throughout all the years of school, wierd music, wierd food and
bickering, I wanted to be an artist (except when I was five, I wanted
to be a belly-dancer, to which my very Italian father replied to my
mother, "Oh no, she wants to be a cuorva"). So I majored in Biology.
(Ofcourse.)
Maybe I should explain how that happened, but I don't feel like it
right now. Basically, there were like five different colleges, three
majors, two failed attempts at paying for a private art school, and
five years of working on a tour boat and doing art in my spare time. So
at the age of 26, I went back to school to finally finish my degree and
I realized that I dug science and I figured if I majored in science, I
could get a decent job. I'd like to add that I kicked ass at this final
educational endeavor of mine. Even though I had to make up for lost
time in science and math requirements (I had 6 upper division science
classes my last semester), I graduated cum laude.
From there, I got my dream science job. What is the coolest science job there is? Forensic science.
It started out pretty well, like most things do. I was so excited I
couldn't shut up about it. I couldn't wait for people I met to ask what
I did for a living. Four and a half years later, it took every ounce of
the energy I had in what was left of my shriveled soul to drag my ass out
of bed to go to work everyday. Shall I just say it wasn't a good match for
me? And people would always ask if it was really like
it is on TV. No, it's nothing like it is on TV and if it was, I'd
probably still be there. My mother always told me if I didn't have
anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all...
...just kidding. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the people
in the field and the work they do. It's not glamorous- it's 98%
incredibly tedious, repetitive, boring, or really gross. It's only
interesting, challenging, and engaging like 2% of the time (at least in
the disciplines I worked in). I was constantly asking myself how I
ended up there; I hated testifying (fear of public speaking), I have
no patience for mindless or tedious tasks, and I'm squeemish. I've
processed enough items
for fingerprints and seen enough blood, semen, vomit, feces, worn
underwear, used condoms, used feminine hygiene products, and pubic hair
samples to last me a lifetime. And I could have gone my whole life
without knowing what rotten flesh smells like and not felt like I was
missing out on anything. So it was a very difficult decision, but I
sold the very cute, tiny little circa 1924 house (1 BR, 624 sq.ft.)
that I managed to buy (no small feat in San Jose, CA) so that I could
shock the hell out of my friends and family by quitting the forensic
science gig to pursue life as an artist... "My daughter, the flea
market seller", my mom says now, beaming with pride...
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 | Now what?
I just want to do work I enjoy, that I can get lost
in, work that causes the hours to pass like minutes and that is
enjoyable and engaging. I want to do work that is uniquely mine. I want
to feel irreplaceable and I want to use my best attributes and skills
everyday. I want to be continually challenged. I'm trying to figure out how to do what I love and lead a meaningful life while
making enough money to meet my basic needs (food, shelter, heat, phone,
internet, and a Honda) without damaging the environment or profiting
from sweatshops and child labor in third world countries. It's a goal.
And now about this photo. Every girl should take a picture of herself,
put it in Photoshop, and make herself look like a celebrity. This is a
picture of me, but anyone who knows me personally knows that I have
never looked this good in real life ever. Not even at 16. Actually,
especially at 16 (Thank you Accutane!). That's OK. This way, when I'm famous someday, I won't have to worry about being
recognized when I'm out at Home Depot with no make-up on, wearing the
sweats I slept in.
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