• Holding Peace
  • Holding Peace, top view
  • Holding Peace, Detail
  • Holding Peace, Open
  • Beloved Remains

Welcome

Making art is one way of loving the world. So is writing. I’ve spent many years with my sleeves rolled up doing both.

My work has ranged from painting to illustration, more recently to collage and assemblage. I’ve ranged from children’s books to creative nonfiction in essays and memoir. What holds all these together for me is the creative process. I am still learning from it and marvel at its wisdom, challenges and graces. It shapes the maker as well as the thing made.

Like many artists and writers, for me the creating happens in a messy solitude. But I often feel my work is only completed in the other hearts and minds who eventually see it. So sharing the work matters as much as the solitude. Thus, a website—a place to explore and share my thoughts with you, along with some art and writing. I hope you’ll enjoy.

Art

Painting is my foundation. For a decade and more, I worked in acrylic on canvas, later shifting to paper when I painted the illustrations for my children’s books. But all along I’ve also harbored a fascination for collage and assemblage. These days, I’ve been exploring them at last.

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Writing

The word “essay” used to turn me away with a shudder. It sounded cold, impersonal, and way too rational. I thought the same about “nonfiction.” But that was long ago. What changed? I learned that essays can be personal, even intimate. An essay can be warm. It can be lyrical.

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Children’s Books

When I first began to write and illustrate children’s books, I had no idea what a pleasure or how much work it would be. A picture book is a skinny sort of book but a whole world can open up in those few pages. Art and words unite, telling a story for eyes and ears at once.

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