Color and doors captivate me. In my life, I have walked through a series of doors opening to rich and colorful opportunities. In college, I formally studied art. However it was years later, after my four boys were grown and I had left my career in home design, that I returned to a serious study of painting. Some of the most joyous times of my life have resulted from walking back through this door: friends, travel, workshops, and continual learning.
I play with light and warmth in my paintings in three mediums – watercolors, acrylics and oils. My motifs feature landscapes, buildings, streets, and, of course, doors from North Carolina, Mexico, Italy, France, and Ecuador. I have a number of pieces featuring young children and adults. My paintings portray the doors through which I have walked: the people and places that have touched my life. To me, art tells the story, recalls the memory, or captures the mood. I start the creative process with my camera, and later gather subject matter from my large photo library.
Art as a career began after painting a watercolor of “Renfrow Hardware,” a one hundred year old hardware store in Matthews, NC. I painted the piece to celebrate the store’s 100th anniversary. I made prints of the painting, and the entire signed and numbered edition sold in less than three months. This followed with paintings of three more historical buildings in Matthews and launched my art career.
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