My first paintings as I worked on a BFA at UNC-Greensboro. Realism was not in vogue - I was told at my senior studio review that I should have been apprenticed to Andrew Wyeth instead of attending university!
My family vacationed for years in a small beachfront cottage on Holden Beach, NC. It was SO quiet and peaceful - a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the beach, the water, and all the sounds of the sea and the birds.
My "self portraits" are definitely not traditional!
Fort Caswell, at Southport, NC, was where I spent a lot of time in the summers at camp at the Baptist Assembly there when I was a kid. Later as an adult I found it to be a rich source of inspiration for some interesting art!
Becton Park was one of the first "modern" developments nearby. The design was like a scene from "Twilight Zone" - mostly identical houses tied together by a scallop fence, which softened my hard-edge abstractions.
I love to paint flowers, but rarely in a traditional sense! These works are mostly about crocuses and pansies. The majority of them are done in acrylics, with an oil pastel or two in the mix.
I loved the deep colors of the hydrangeas I used to have - could get lost in the beauty and forms of the flowers. My imagery went from mostly realistic to metaphysical abstraction.
Always had a secret desire to cut loose & react to life by slinging paint - wasn't in my nature, but my dogs were Expressionist experts on doors & windows, & graciously let me use photos of their work to take off! Fun!