Painting, for me, is a physical and emotional act. My paintings each contain a unique presence of the energy and time of a private performance. They are a layering of abstraction and representation, depiction and embedded emotions, trace and form. The paintings reference my experiences - bodily and spiritual - with loss and love.  I start by taking photographs of my bedspread and of roses, simple objects with vast symbolic significance. I cut up the photos and reassemble them into collages that become the inspiration for my paintings. Next, before each painting session, I listen to the information that comes to me as feelings in my body and images in my mind. I find the process to be successful when I can let go and accept the train of decisions I made and am making, fully in the moment in front of me. I strive to allow my expression and all its contradictions to exist without judgment. In doing so, I get closer to an authentic and unedited representation of these universal and deeply personal experiences.