If you were raised in the San Francisco bay area by bohemian style, free thinking, fun loving, intellectual parents who loved to go to Golden Gate Park to eat french bread, salami and cheese and take naps in the warm sunshine, loved music, took you to free concerts in the park; parents who WANTED to know how to make a daisy chain; parents that chose to read along with you the album liner notes and words of every single album the Beatles ever released and then discussed it with you afterwards; parents that sat down at the kitchen table with you when you decided to share your new found culinary skill of preparing brown rice and steamed carrots, and actually ate that for dinner even though you could tell by the look on their faces they would have rather ordered out for pizza; parents that orchestrated all their children and themselves to paint their faces as mimes and order ice cream cones without talking, and these parents had a close artist friend, Sam Tchakalian, whose art was featured in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, it was only a matter of time before you would begin to discover your own artistic leanings. With a legacy like that I was art bound.
The first inkling I had of being an artist was in 1963 at the age of 12. I entered a drawing contest on the back of a matchbook cover (surely you have vivid memories of them . . . the picture of the pirate with the eye patch or the turtle head wearing a cap). I was told I had potential but needed to resubmit when I reached the age of 16 in order to qualify to attend commercial art college.
One of my most vivid memories was surrounding the emergence of the British Pop Invasion of the early sixties. Of course my favorite band was the Beatles along with multitudes of other girls my age . . . only difference was I just HAD to sketch their beautiful mop-top faces on one large massive piece of brown butcher paper 2′ x 6′ long in charcoal. Most of my young adult life I favored sketching with pencil, charcoal or pen.
I can’t remember precisely when I set aside my drawing utensils but in the Spring of 2004 I was introduced to a digital camera and fell in love with the process of photographic art. With endless possibilities, my creative flow wide open and support from family and friends, I pursue this passion daily.
My greatest inspiration has been from my trip to Italy in 2006. There I was able to view the art of Caravaggio. I was completely drawn to his paintings, especially his use of light, saturation of color, the vulnerability of his subjects and his focal point. It was as if he used a zoom on a camera lens and made you see what he saw.
Bring your sense of wonder as you enjoy viewing “the little picture” as I have seen it.
What Others Are Saying