I began this work with a technique (relatively new to me) called gel printing. First I drew a face on sketch paper with soft vine charcoal. Next, I positioned the drawing charcoal side down on the gel plate. I pressed gently with my fingers and hand. This action transferred the image on to the gel plate. I then pulled the print using one color of acrylic paint. I love to experiment with my work, so I pulled another ghost print with one color of acrylic paint.

After this I began adding colored card stock papers. These were cut and ripped into shapes that added interest to the composition being built. When I was happy with this layer I began to apply layers of acrylic paint, colored pencils and paint markers. These materials were specifically chosen to create gestural lines and add interest to the image.

I will continue working in this way until I achieve a composition that feels resolved. Sometimes I know what I want the work to look like before I start. However, most times I allow an open dialogue between myself and the work being created.

Creating artwork excites me in innumerable ways. One of the most compelling aspects is the juxtaposition of aesthetic and intuitive decisions made during the creative process. Countless times I am channeling with my artwork. For example, with this particular piece I started by drawing an indiscriminate face on the sketch paper. While I worked on this piece, my dear friend, who also has intuitive gifts, shared a dream. She dreamed of someone she knew and a situation in that persons life. Later, I sent her a photo of this work. She said, “how are you drawing the person from my dream?”.

A myriad of the works in my portfolio are born this way. I discover the rest of the story about an image after the completion. I am humbled and grateful to birth artwork into this world in this way. I trust a loving Universe to bring forth what it will. Artists are vessels and a conduit for the Divine, and at our very best we surprise even ourselves.