Bio
I am a Chicago-based artist born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. I attended Massachusetts College of Art/BFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago/MFA, and the University of Illinois Chicago/BFA.
Selected Exhibitions
Alma Art & Interiors, Threaded Together, Chicago, IL; Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Well-Behaved Women: Celebrating 100 years of Women's Suffrage, Michigan City, IN; Guest Juror & Featured Artist/The Art Center Highland Park, Love & Collaboration, Highland Park, IL; Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago Women's Caucus for Art Exhibition 2020 Vision, Bridgeport, IL; Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, 30th Annual International Small Print Exhibition, Chicago, IL; Mana Contemporary, THE OTHER ART FAIR, Chicago, IL; Gallery Z, Abstract, Conceptual, & Multimedia Art, Providence, RI; Old Courthouse Arts Center, Chicago Women's Caucus for Art Exhibition, #NakedTruth, Woodstock, IL; Women Made Gallery, Midwest Open, Chicago, IL; Elmhurst Art Museum, Chicago Women's Caucus for Art Exhibition, Transmogrification, Elmhurst, IL; Koehnline Museum of Art, Women and Anger: Resistance, Power, and Inspiration, Des Plaines, IL; Providence Art Club, Making Your Mark, Providence, RI; The Art Center-Highland Park, Beneath The Surface, Highland Park, IL; Koehnline Museum of Art, Beyond Rosie The Riveter, Des Plaines, IL; MoMa PS1, Printed Matter Book Fair, Long Island City, NY; Studio/Gallery Z, Providence, RI; Upstream Gallery, Dobbs Ferry, NY; Windsor Whip Works Art Gallery, Windsor, NY; and Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL.
Statement
My background in art history, painting, printmaking, design, typography, and color theory, greatly influence the conceptual and compositional characteristics in my work. Reoccurring symbols both recognizable and cryptic are evident in my work. The images in my mind come to life revealing provocative worlds locked away, waiting to be explored. Conceptually, I am inspired by nature, mosaic tiles, textures, patterns, free forms, organic lines, symbols of hope, Art Brut, and my dreams. Experimental in material and process, my work is informed by the history of abstraction, outsider/intuitive artists, color, and architectural building material. I work in a manner that encourages textures, shapes and symbols to take on new meaning.
Paintings
The creation of abstract paintings is an intuitive and physical process for me. The surfaces of my paintings are thin in some areas and built up others. Using palette knives, I apply paint liberally so my work has a 3-dimensional quality. Using tools other than traditional brushes, paint is applied and removed from the substrate. The additive and subtractive process I use, create a layered and highly textured surface. I purposefully juxtapose thick and thin applications of paint, so the elements in the work have a push pull dialogue with one another. For my smaller works, I journal to get my thoughts down. Many of the pieces are a combination of representational organic shapes, while others are cryptic. The scale of my work influences my process, which ranges from completely intuitive to partially planned.
Mixed Media
The materials you will see in my work include oil paint, acrylic, inks, markers, gold leaf, ash, dirt, threads, dry pigment, encaustics, enamels, spray paint, wood, panels, wax paper, stencils, canvas, found substrates, etc. Using a bandsaw, I create abstract shapes out of masonite and wood. The shapes are adhered to panel, painted, varnished, or left in a natural state on panel, or left as a freeform object. Conceptually, the work is inspired by organic and man-made worlds that are separate at times and collide at other times, above and/or below a perceived surface.
Prints by Sweet Angst
My most recent work created and at times signed under my pen name Sweet Angst, employs stencils and printmaking as a layering medium with the repetition of overlapping images and/or words. I began using stencils as a kid and now find it appealing as the spontaneity intrinsic to the process leads to limitless textures and great design quality. Using silkscreen, I combine both traditional and experimental techniques by printing on archival paper, found substrates, and custom designed wood/masonite panels. I create custom designed organic and man-made shapes on a bandsaw and/or laser cutter, and then silkscreen the object/s.
Represented by
Gallery/Studio Z, Warwick, Rhode Island