Artist Statement In 2011, after a 15 year gap in my career from making art, a death in the family was the catalyst that prompted me to once again pick up my pencil. The first series was a familiar one: the beloved oak tree of the South which I had drawn since I was first taught the skill in 1972. I have always loved art history and, seeking inspiration, I began looking at other artists, eventually discovering the work of Graham Sutherland. A single detail in one of his drawings set me off down the trail of reinterpreting/digesting/reassembling his and others’ works. The original source of inspiration often gets completely lost in the new work but the concept remains intact. I spin and riff off of others’ ideas and by doing such, the viewer and I gain more insight to the original work while experiencing something altogether new. I have so far used A. J. Drysdale (the Live Oak series), Graham Sutherland (The Sutherland Project and The Figure), Picasso (Equus), Constable's cloud studies (Painting a Whisper), Manet (the Olympia series) and Velasquez (the Infanta Margarita series). An important part of my drawing practice comes from the story about Rauschenberg erasing a de Kooning drawing. I loved the idea that something else was on that sheet of paper: pre-existing images, ghosts of other hands, total mystery. Some drawings may have up to 4 drawings on the page that I have erased; sometimes all that is left is the indentation of the mark which will only be visible when there is shading or a smudge. Curriculum Vitae Education Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LABachelor of Landscape Architecture – 1978Bachelor of Fine Arts – 1978University of Massachusetts – Amherst, MAMaster of Landscape Architecture – 1984 Work New York City Department of ParksDeputy Administrator of Riverside Park – 1984-1999World Trade CenterLandscape Architect – 1999-2000Bette Midler – New York Restoration ProjectLandscape Architect – 2000 – 2001Residential Landscape Architect – 1995 to present Teaching New York Botanical Gardens – Bronx, New YorkInstructor – 1987 to 2014Columbia University – New York, New YorkLecturer – 1994 – 2014 Gallery Representation The Source GallerySan Francisco, Ca. – 1980 – 1983Mitchell-Thompson GalleryNew York, New York – 1992- 1994HallamHudson, New York – 2011- 2014Carrie Haddad GalleryHudson, New York - 2015 to present Collections Mrs. Nan SwidMs. Mary Stuart MastersonHugh Dancy and Claire DanesRobert and Roby WhitlockeHenry and Alison StolzmanGeorgetown UniversityAmerican ExpressHBSCMariott Marquis – Times Square