MAKING ART has always been an integral part of my life. Throughout the years, no matter what the medium, the joy I experience as an artist has everything to do with the actual process – the “making” itself.  The journey from “blank canvas” to finished piece is always an adventure.

Printmaking, and specifically monotype-making, is a sensory experience for me. The second I step into a printshop the smell of the ink hits me, and I feel like I’m home. I love mixing these inks with a pallet knife to create delicious, almost edible one-of-a kind colors; I love the soft ‘ssssst’ sound as the roller picks up ink from the pallet and transfers it to the plate. Making marks and transferring my energy directly onto the paper involves a great deal of physicality which is extremely satisfying both mentally and physically. Even the final turning of the handwheel on the press and the energy that’s transferred is a part of the process for me.

When I’m in the right groove, the act of creating an image on a plate feels like making freeform jazz – it becomes its own rhythm and melody. No matter how I may envision the final piece, outside factors like roller pressure, ink consistency, and humidity all contribute an element of surprise when the paper is finally pulled away from the plate. Like the notes and instruments in freeform jazz, the same colors and shapes can be combined over and over again to result in exciting new compositions each time. I never get bored.

Ultimately, it is the process of leaving behind a bit of my creative energy in each image that I find the most satisfying. Whatever others see in my work, I know they are also experiencing a little bit of the essence of me as well.