When I begin a piece, I have a germ of an idea. That idea can come from something I've seen, somewhere I've been, a feeling or just a thought. The emotional story slowly begins to reveal itself to me. The painting is waiting for me to discover it and, together, the painting and I begin to "work it out." I'm interested in what is hidden beneath the surface - in the multiple layers of texture and color. So I begin to dig and shape - to push and pull – add and subtract - whatever it takes. I cut, tear, and paint. I scribble imaginary shapes. I create a private alphabet. I sew, compose, rip apart – and through it all, the principals of design are always there demanding to be considered. In the end, I have a painting that was begun in an emotional and intuitive state, tamed and controlled by the basic elements of organization and composition that invokes a secret world - a provocative world - a richly textured and sensual world - to get lost and found in.