Bio: My formal painting education came from studying with artists including Wayne Thiebaud, Manuel Neri, Roland Peterson, Roy DeForest, Mike Henderson, David Hollowell, and Squeak Carnwath at the University of California, Davis, where I earned my degree in Art Studio. I continue to develop my work independently and with a variety of artists of diverse disciplines, in distinct contexts and creative environments, both locally and internationally. For example, in 2006 I was invited to an artist in residency, Fundación Valparaíso, in Mojácar, Spain.

Our interconnections visually, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually are continually fascinating and inspiring to me. But to notice and really see, feel these connections, I have to continually refresh my ability to be present and to live in the moment. Everything in life has the potential for beauty and vitality if we just take the time and attention to be still, to use all of our senses with open minds and open hearts, and to allow ourselves to be moved. Eating well, traveling (even at home), dancing, making art, learning new things, listening to live music, and enjoying intimate conversations – this is what invigorates me and helps me to see and to feel beauty or connection and then be moved to paint it.

I love the sensual and visual pleasure I get from paint. Through color, texture and surface quality, I can speak to emotion, spirit, and intellect. I usually rely on photographs I’ve either taken or found and respond to them using bold colors, gestures, drips, and nuanced textures and surface qualities - shifts between control and letting go – a kind of dance on the canvas. Through the gesture of each brushstroke, painting acts as a communicative action inviting the viewer to engage and bringing to life a conversation… a conversation communicating concerns, passions, observations, and mental processes that allow for degrees of subjectivity in meaning.

The Mission, San Francisco, California, is the place I call home, a place that I adore, that feeds me well and that keeps me inspired to share what I experience all around me. Please write to me, soad@studiosoad.com, with any comments or questions about my work, including availability and prices, or to arrange for a studio visit. Visit this link: http://eepurl.com/dG8i to join my mailing list. Thank you!