The paintings for our upcoming exhibition, “On Water” are concerned with the sea as all of life. The work is painted with a lush, gratifyingly joyous approach. The colors reflect the warmth of living things, earth, air and sea. When asked about her work and these new pieces in particular the artist wrote:

“I am a process painter. Using oil paints and drawing materials in an intuitive manner. Like an archeologist, I approach the canvas as if on a ‘dig’, adding and subtracting, waiting for the meaning of the piece to reveal itself. I view my work as a disciplined activity akin to meditation or prayer – something I must do on a regular basis so as to feel fully engaged with life on a spiritual level.

Many of my works, although primarily abstract, incorporate symbols and imagery. Scratched into or added to the surface of the works are often images of ladders, crosses, animals, windows, waves or moons. Certainly my family background (my parents escaped Nazi Germany) has greatly influenced my subject matter. Much of the work is existential in nature, appearing to deal with the tension between light and dark – both metaphorically and formally.

Water is a potent metaphor for me.  I think about D.H. Lawrence, and the power of water in his work.

I have come to a point in my life wherein I never want to live far from the sea; be it a warm sea or cold.  I grew up here, (in California) and always felt conscious of the preciousness of water - there is so little of it in southern California. 

As a metaphor, the ocean intersects beautifully with what I experience internally - it is everything.  When I first moved here from Hawai'i, I had a very difficult time with the transition. Ironically, I felt as though I was drowning, transplanted in this a semi-arid parched land. The ocean was so cold. At this very time, the hurricane hit in New Orleans.   I was mourning the loss my beloved Hawai'ian waters, while listening to so many others mourn the devastation and havoc created by other waters.  My sense was that we were all drowning - in some way or another. And, still, even now, here we are all, paddling our own canoes...