Pacific Influence

She Moves in Blue oil on gallery wrapped canvas My series ‘Coming up for Air’, marks the time between my former life and my current one as an artist. When I left my career, there was a long moment between deciding to, and leaving. It was glorious knowing a new world was coming but I was unsure of what that actually meant. I simply knew that it felt like I could finally breathe. That sensation, the liminal space between letting go and moving forward, is always the moment in ‘Coming Up for Air’. I return to the idea over and over, painting moments of suspension and relief. ‘She Moves in Blue’ is the newest in the series. The surface light feels soft, highlighting that idea of being held in water. The blue-on-blue palette creates subtle movement, reminding me just because something seems still doesn’t mean the current isn’t moving. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Driftwood sculpture: acrylic paint, printed material on wood 6 x 4 x 4 My love of 3d work and patinas inspired me to create this piece. I enjoyed working with the surfaces to create a weathered look. Structural formality with the dynamic randomness of collage, reflects the natural construction of driftwood. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

La Distance qui nous Unit sculpture: pink Portugal marble 4.5 x 12.5 x 9.5 Distance was always thought as something that separated us, particularly the separation created by the seas and the oceans. It provided a sense of security. Today, due to science and the enginery of man, we can think of the space that separated us as the one that units us. Our entire world is connected and can be reached in seconds. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Working the San Joaquin Valley Watercolor Pencil, Neocolor ll, on Rives Bfk The migrant community is the foundation of Fresno County’s agricultural success. Located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Fresno is located in one of the most productive farming regions in the world, growing grapes, almonds, lettuce, and tomatoes. These crops depend on the skilled, dedicated labor of migrant workers—primarily from Mexico and Central America—whose efforts sustain billions of dollars in agricultural production each year. Beyond their labor, they enrich the region’s culture through language, tradition, and community life. During the four years we lived in Fresno, this community profoundly influenced my outlook and creative direction. It was my first experience living outside the East Coast and within a culture so different from my own. During that time I worked in a sheltered workshop training disabled adults from the migrant community to create slip-cast ceramics for sale at local farmers markets. Although I my job was to teach and supervise them, I learned far more from their strength, resilience, and quiet pride in their work. WORKING THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY reflects that experience. Through rhythm, gesture, and color, I aim to honor the people whose unseen labor sustains both the land and those who depend on it. Their endurance and humanity continue to inform my art, shaping how I see connection, perseverance, and beauty in everyday work. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Nothing is Permanent Except Change As I created these new works, I was keenly aware that every mark I made was made by one hand--my hand--and that the finished product would live and breathe as part of a world in which we all are tenants and that we all share. An expression is synonymous with Mother Earth, leading to our departure from the stations of life, our search for new noise and passion, and our empowerment and encouragement of change. In this conception, 'Nature' is not a source of material for production but the beginning and end of all life and culture. My work centers on the idea of being nowhere and everywhere, waltzing around cultural boundaries with beliefs and traveling through form and energy, attempting to incorporate conflict, balance, and harmony to shape the work's influences, thoughts, and hope for the same thing and shared moment. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Native Pottery oil, charcoal, graphite on gessoed paper 24 x 18 Collecting pottery and ceramics and watching PBS tv program "Antique Roadshow" are all influences. There was much paint application and amending to find the shape. I added pencil to enhance texture. Experimentation with color led me to choose a strong dark image. The influence of artist and potter Maria Martinez from the San Ildefonso Pueblo must be noted. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Far from the Tree I ran across these apples while I was wandering around under my friend's old fuji apple tree. They were way beyond the trunk and together they seemed to tell a story. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Water World watercolor The movement, the turbulence, the danger of the ocean. Everyone and everything can disappear in it. It’s very abstract it’s deconstructed. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Two Cities This piece is inspired by the desert accepting all who come. The need to wander in all, have adventures, enjoy the unexpected, but always return home to the love of the desert. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Ocotilla and Mountains Printmaking 8 x 10 Being a visitor to the west coast, the desert was a novelty, I wanted to remember the palette, the quiet vibe and simplicity, though schooling taught me there is a lot going on there that we don't see. Mountains are mysterious, and somewhat forboding- framing the horizon here, where the shrubs and shadows catch the heat of the day. It feels gritty and basic, dry, and yet spotted with color, conducive to the brushstroke. A monotype is a unique print obtained by painting, in this case, on plexiglas with printing ink, run through a press that yields only one product. It is a technique on its own- sort of a painter's printmaking method. You can't apply ink thickly, as it will just splat, but you can get interesting brushstroke effects. This is part of my Pacific memory. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Treasure from the Ocean's Depth sculpture: steel armature, cellulose fibers, pigments, plastic, copper wire, wax, resin coating This sculpture continues the narrative of ancient artifacts raised to the sea's surface, reminding us of ancient civilizations, and the plastic debris in the oceans, a mark left by our contemporaries. The were plenty of shipwrecks along the pacific coastline. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Twisted Pine oil on canvas 16 x 16 This painting of the Torrey Pine stands as a reflection of my own journey, a testament to endurance, transformation, and the quiet strength that grows from surviving life’s harshest landscapes. With its twisted trunk reaching toward a bright, open sky, the tree becomes a symbol of the power to prevail, echoing the resilience we cultivate through struggle. The Torrey Pine is one of the rarest pines in North America, known for thriving in rugged coastal conditions where wind, salt, and shifting terrain shape its form. Its beauty is not born from ease but from challenge, and in that way, it mirrors the story of a life shaped by hardship, healing, and the determination to keep reaching upward. I see my own experiences reflected in its weathered limbs, each twist and curve an acknowledgment of the storms I’ve learned to withstand. The clear sky above is not simply a backdrop but a promise. It represents the hope that guides me through difficult seasons and the calm that follows when clarity finally breaks through. Over time, I have learned to honor both the light and the struggle, understanding that the hard moments carve out the space for growth, depth, and compassion. This piece celebrates the beauty that emerges from perseverance and the strength gained from surviving with an open heart. It invites viewers to see the grace in Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Monterey Clown Polymer Photogravure Etching printed à la poupée, on Hahnemühle Dürer Copperplate Etching Paper My artwork explores themes of nature in the form of animals, lands, skies and waters, always looking for the spirit and joy within. I am especially enthralled with the beauty and grandeur of the natural creatures on our earth and in our oceans, their unassuming existence in their environment, their graceful fluidity, their subtle and changing colors and shapes, and wondering about their level of awareness. In my artistic exploration in printmaking, I also am fascinated with process, of making the images, the plates, and then the printing. This particular piece is made from a photo I took at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I printed it with a Direct-to-Plate process onto a UV Sensitive Polymer plate using an Epson printer, processed it in a UV exposure unit and then in water, turning it into an etching plate. Now the fun begins as I explore the best way to print the plate. The à la poupée method of applying different color inks to different areas, and the blending of the inks is highly technical, creative and absorbing. I am lost in the zone and find great pleasure printing this way. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

At a Glance This portrait embodies shifting colors and forms that result from overlapping multiple transparencies with screening material. When I made these works, I was inspired by Japanese printmaking and it’s influence on artists of the 20th century. I have worked with images from a vintage photo albums from that time that I acquired from a friend in Germany. The photos were faded and grainy at best. I was inspired to work with this image of an unknown woman, to bring her forward and have her seen in the light of today. The colors reflected within the work change with time of day, light source and your viewing position. This interaction enhances the mystery of the subject and how we perceive her. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Not All Who Wander Are Lost oil on linen panel This painting was inspired by my son’s move to California for his medical residency. During a family visit to Big Sur, I watched him walk ahead on the cliffside trail, taking in the vastness of the Pacific and the rugged beauty around him. In that moment, the scene felt like a visual metaphor - a young man stepping into a new chapter, following a path filled with possibility. I wanted to capture both the landscape and the feeling: the soft California light, the sweep of the coastline, and the quiet courage it takes to walk toward an unknown future. The warmth of the grasses and the glow on the path reflect the hope and pride I felt watching him begin this journey from Augusta to California. This piece is both a memory and a blessing - an image of exploration, growth, and the beauty of moving forward. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Shades of Gray oil on linen canvas It is a common practice to create artwork through tone by manipulating the lightness or darkness of colors and shades to create form, depth, and atmosphere. When creating this artwork, I was focusing more on tones than color and decided to only use only the shades of gray to define the horses. By adjusting the contrast between light and dark areas, I believed I could control the viewer's emotional response, guiding the eye to focal points, and establishing a sense of realism or drama. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.    

Featherscape colored pencil on paper 20 x 30 This piece entitled Featherscape emerged in a sudden rush of instinct, faster than I normally plan a composition. My Taino ancestry on my Puerto Rican side has always given me a deep pull toward Indigenous traditions, especially the spiritual relationship between ceremony, land, and sky. A family friend once gifted me an Indian headdress, and the symbolism of that offering stayed with me. When I created this piece, everything came together with an almost magical clarity. The feathers, the desert light, and the woven forms appeared as one vision. They reflect ancestral memory and the spiritual presence that moves through Pacific and Southwestern Native cultures. Additional shipping/delivery charges will be handled between the artist and buyer after the purchase.