I started painting and drawing about 20 years ago. For several years I took weekend and evening classes at the San Francisco Art Institute and other schools in the San Francisco area. One summer I went to Urbino, Italy for a concentrated course of one-on-one sessions at L’Accademia Raffaello.
In 2001, I began painting small format watercolors. They were inspired by an exhibit of Paul Klee and August Macke watercolors painted during a North African trip prior to World War I. I was struck by their vitality and delicacy.
Especially with watercolors, the type of paper I use has an effect on the way I paint. The irregular shape of handmade watercolor paper inspires looser work. When I began painting on pages from Japanese books, the ideograms worked well with a spare calligraphic style. When I paint on sheet music, I respond to the strict horizontal lines and playful little notes.
Over a year ago, I shifted my emphasis and began drawing small cartoon-like figures. Drawing allows me to concentrate on the simplicity of line. My muses in drawing have been Klee (once again), Matisse (for the beauty) and Thurber (for the wit). In my drawings I try to catch a moment in time and suggest nuances of mood, emotion or circumstance.
A few of my paintings are available for sale or rental in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery at Fort Mason in San Francisco, California.
I anticipate that I will e-publish some compilations of my paintings and drawings.