| Our age of computer technology is as exciting as when Gutenberg developed the printing press. While digitized information now soars through space, I still write with pens and brushes. Independent of technology, the power and beauty of words are constant; the depth of thought and leap of metaphor are vital. The complex rhythm of our bodies; our breath and our gestures found in handwritten letters still captivates me.
My work takes different forms: accordion fold books, work on paper mounted on panels and writing on translucent materials. Layers of patterns, colors and words are found in all my work. I am influenced by the architectural blocks of text in early manuscripts, Asian Calligraphy, and colorful textile arts. Many of my pieces begin with paste paper, an 18th century method of creating patterns on paper. I may add a brush mark and then layers of text written with metal pens using acrylics and sumi ink.
Music and literature are intertwined in my art. I played string bass with the Bangor Symphony and know that rhythm is as elemental to calligraphic mark making as to music. Rhythm is also essential in the song and sound of the poetry I choose to write. After I was commissioned to create a piece using only Maine authors, I discovered the joy in collaborating with contemporary poets. My pieces now combine words of old masters and new.
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