Three children were asked to paint a tree. The first one painted a faithful copy of a tree, a natural everyday tree.
The second child looked at it and said, "Yours is the kind of tree I see every day and I'm tired of it. Mine is a tree the way I would like it to be." She showed a drawing of an abstract tree, barely indicated, as if swept by the wind into tumultuous wavering lines.
The third child painted a fanciful tree with fanciful leaves and fruit and said, "Mine is a tree from a country we never saw.
When I first read this passage, I remember thinking that it really 'hit the nail on the head' in describing the way I paint. Not merely because of the reference to painting trees but because I like to paint so many different forms. What I paint or how I paint depends entirely on what wants to be created at any given moment -- on what comes alive on the canvas. I begin with an idea and then let go of that idea as the painting unfolds.
As you will see, I have no need or desire to be recognized for a particular style or palette but rather enjoy being likened to a one woman group show.
