My abstract paintings have been inspired by a lifetime of driving on the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica California, to Big Sur, and beyond. The PCH is the lifeline for those of us that are lucky enough to live in Malibu.
I started painting fantastical underwater worlds on large sheets of acrylic while I was working at an animation studio in Hollywood. These paintings led me to be hired by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to design and fabricate children's centers. They then asked me to create two 6' x 12" tropical paintings to be hung near the swimming pool area. I loved them so much I was inspired to do a tropical series. The images are soothing that you can almost feel the breeze, and hear the waves lapping onto the shore.
My early floral works were painted on large sheets of acrylic, a technique I learned while working at an animation studio where we painted on plastic sheets of paper called cels. Once I began to get commissions, I started painting on canvas. Some of my more recent works are directly inspired from those earlier pieces, and others have simply come from my imagination. My Asian inspired murals and panels have a Zen quality about them. I have hummingbird feeders right outside my studio window. It was a no brainer to add them to my paintings.
After working on the Royal Caribbean children's centers, I was commissioned to do a number of outdoor murals for them, incorporating the portholes into my images. Those murals opened me up to more opportunities to design the 30' wall outside th19th Hole Golf Bar.
I have designed storefronts and painted murals throughout my community, in Malibu.
My first sculptures are 3 dimensional versions of my Jillart animal paintings and drawings. I couldn't believe how perfect they came out. The smaller versions of "Spot", "Perfect the Cat", "Mousey Mouse", "Knightfish", along with my unname frog and bear, won "best new artist in show" when first introduced to Museum Art Stores, throughout the country.
I then joined forces with my artist friend Jacklyn Marcus to create "Stones, Rocks, and Boulders" These sculptures range from hand held stones, to 1,500lb boulders and are painted with multi layers of jeweled toned "hot rod" car paint. We had fun stacking the rocks and boulders in an animated fashion so the viewers cannot see the steel rods that hold them safely in place. When seen in the light, you can't miss the dazzling gold and silver flecks in the paint. The boulder sculptures are great in outdoor areas, and water features can be incorporated in them.
