I was a military ‘brat’. Constantly moving away from friends and family creates a disconnection that the government finds useful in its indoctrination and focusing of the soldier’s loyalty on country – ahead of local community or family. This disconnect from personal roots also provides a closer connection to ‘country’ as an abstract concept. As a shy child I loved being outdoors and moving frequently pushed me to observe my environment closely, perhaps encouraging me to forge bonds with place that other children might not have. As an adult working in camps for kids, guiding on rivers in the Southeast and Idaho, and taking trips on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and in New Zealand also gave me a unique sense of moving through the landscape. In my landscape projects, I feel compelled to translate ‘moments’ of recognition of powerful places into an accessible and at times even intimate format.
Solo Shows:
· Pilgrimage to the Dark Star and Other Works – Solo show at the Swain County Center for the Arts in February/March 2008, opening February 17, 2008.
· Solo show of paintings and drawings inspired by Kephart Prong, a stream in the Smokies, “Stream of Consciousness” April – May 2007 at Nantahala Outdoor Center Relia’s Garden Restaurant.
· Solo Show at Spring Street Café in Sylva, NC April 2006. Stream: Connotations.
Selected Group Shows:
· Impromptu, Old Conn Gallery Landrum, SC, Group Exhibition of WCU students and faculty, May 9th – June 6th, 2009.
· A Female Dialogue – In support of the Vagina Monologues – Western Carolina University’s Fine and Performing Art Center’s Atrium, group exhibit Feb. 9-13, 2009.
· Fragile Earth: Reflections on the Environment – Juried by Martin DeWitt, museum director; group show at Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum, July 13- August 15, 2008.
· Participated in community art show at Swain County Center for the Arts Fall 2008, 2007, 2006.
· Group exhibit (rotating pieces from 2004-2007) juried by Debra Mills at Everett Street Café and Gallery in Bryson City, NC.
· Metropolitan Art Market 2005 – Flea market juried by Nancy Jean for local and emerging artists in the Twin Cities – Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.
· Watercolors done on extended trips to the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon and Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area, shown in a 1989 Group Exhibition of Staff Artists at Nantahala Outdoor Center
Awards:
· 2009 Winner Fine and Performing Arts Category in 17th Annual Graduate Research Symposium at Western Carolina University – Graduate Student Paper competition: “Giotto’s Genius and How He Used Facial Expression to Connect Emotionally With Viewers”.
· Oil and Water Don’t Mix, Second Place Painting Prize in 2004 WCU Student Art Exhibition juried by Dian Magie, Executive Director, UNC Center for Craft Creativity and Design and Brad Thomas, Director and Curator of the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College
· Dogwood in the Smokies watercolor, Second Place Prize in a 1989 juried emerging artists show in Bryson City, NC.
Classes and publications:
· Presented demonstration Reading Water and Painting Transparent Water at the Blue Ridge Watermedia Society annual meeting on Sept. 11, 2007 in Haywood County, NC.
· Developed class in Reading Water for the Visual Artist offered through Southwestern Community College continuing education program Fall 2006. Gave the presentation to Swain County Center for the Arts member meeting September 2006.
· Featured in article, Stream of Consciousness – Therapist’s Paintings Explore Water as Metaphor for Life by Teresa Killian, in Summer 2007 issue of The Magazine of Western Carolina University.
· Drawing published in LIMINAL 2005 – University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Student Fine Art publication Reclining Nude II, charcoal.
· Drawing published in NOMAD 2004 – WCU Student Fine Art publication River, pen and ink repeating border design.
· Drawing published in NOMAD 2003 – WCU Student Fine Art publication Nude, charcoal figure drawing.
Galleries:
· City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC carries cards of painting images.
· The Cottage Craftsman, and Folkestone Inn, Bryson City, NC carry cards of painting images.
· The Oaks Gallery in Dillsboro, NC carries cards of painting images.
Mission Statement:
To support causes I believe in by using images I create to help raise other’s awareness, and to make my own financial contributions to my favorite organizations. To put myself through school and pay for art supplies with art earnings. To be present....
My causes and some favorite organizations include:
KIDS Place, a nationally accredited Children's Advocacy Center in Franklin, NC where I work as a therapist with children who have been abused and neglected and their families.
WATR, The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River is a grassroots organization working to improve water quality and habitat of the
Tuckasegee
River
. Look them up at www.watr.org or contact them at info@watrnc.org or at P.O. Box 2593, Bryson City, NC
28713. This organization protects the watershed of most of my water works that you see on my website.
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee at www.ltlt.org, is dedicated to conserving the waters, forests, farms, and heritage of the Upper Little Tennessee and
Hiwassee
River
Valleys
. I hope to do a series involving the beautiful
Little Tennessee River
.
The Chattooga Conservancy at www.chattoogariver.org, is a grassroots organization that formed in 1991 through the shared vision of a group of citizens who began contesting the Forest Service`s intensive logging and road-building program in the Chattooga watershed`s national forests. One of my dream projects is to do a series based on the incredible rock and water formations of the Chattooga. Lots of potholes and boulders in this riverbed.
P.A.W.S. (Placing Animals Within Society) is a volunteer driven, non-profit organization which seeks to eliminate companion animal suffering through population control, public education and ensuring that all animals are sheltered. You may contact them at PO Box 1814 Bryson City, NC
28713. I have donated cards printed from drawings of pets – mine and others: Penny, Bruno, Uma, Momo, Bastian, Kaytee are all hard at work earning money for the sheltering and welfare of other pets.
ARF (Jackson County Humane Society at www.a-r-f.org) is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit corporation composed of a small group of volunteers who rescue animals from the shelter, the roads, and the community and keep them in their own homes. Penny and Bruno cards have been used for a few years now to say ‘thank-you’ for helping and to raise money.
