Some things just seem to take on a momentum of their own. When I start painting something else takes over. Making art for me is about transformation and healing, transforming experiences and emotions and making sense of our lives. I can not live without a sense or appreciation of beauty and painting helps me to connect with that. My mother taught me early on that it was good to create and I try to remind myself of this on a daily basis. I am mostly self-taught but I have also learned a great deal from working with others. When I was a young artist in New York I had the opportunity to work as assistant for Leon Golub and Nancy Spero and they were a model to me that one can be actively engaged in making art all through life and share the experience. Recently I had the chance to take a course in art therapy which helped me to incorporate new elements into my work including materials like glitter and dirt, images from dreams and a deeper connection with animals and the animal part of me.