How it all began for me…
It was all about creating my own private world. There is a sense of power in being able to manipulate paint, pencil, or whatever the medium to create my own reality. When I began painting at a very young age, I was not aware of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Chardin, Renoir, Manet, Monet, Haring, Hopper, Bush and various other artists that I eventually came to admire. I was inspired by nature- water, flowers and the wind. I found that I always had my pencil in hand at the right moment, ready to capture the way I felt when I saw something that moved me.
Eventually I became aware of the fact that the great artists no matter how different their styles and influences, all had the same intent, namely the sharing of their vision with others. I knew that by studying these masters I would learn from the way they saw and documented the world. Their works transcend boundaries, cultures and time.
by Pablo Picasso
I saw the way Renoir could uplift and the way Leonardo could fascinate, but the works of Picasso, namely “Dora Maar au Chat” resonated with me. At first it was disturbing to view, but at the same time it was challenging and provocative. One has to look and question Picasso’s motives and message. This was a way to see beyond the model- how he knew her and his novel way of presenting her to us was so unique. She was complex and he had to “break her up” to show us her many sides. She was seated but standing as well. She wore many faces, both human and animal and of course a cat is present perched on the chair of the woman who has “cat” claws for fingers. Women and cats are an old reference that draws upon Egyptian influences. Although Maar was the inspiration for the abstract painting, the image does not reflect the reality. I tried to emulate this approach in my abstract painting and I came to discover that it’s far more difficult than it appears. Conversely, paintings by Renaissance Masters are virtually impossible to recreate. While many artists have attempted to copy these pieces they have failed to capture the essence and “soul” of the painting.