Connect What is your favorite type of art to create?

I create mixed media works which begin with multi-layered monotypes, often including plants in some of the layers to add natural botanical forms. After the ink dries, I add more layers with various colored pencils, pens, pastels and acrylic paint. This contributes to the overall complexity and sense of being in nature. Natural forms are fused, juxtaposed, and overlaid with one another to create mystical, surreal images that focus on ecological concerns.

Where do you find inspiration?

My primary inspiration is nature, and the underlying interconnection of all things. Specifically, my images function as visual narratives about the the relationship between nature and humans. I like to invent my own worlds where people ally with animals or birds, creating a positive view of a possible future. Stylistically, my first influences were the fairy tale illustrations I saw as a child. Later I was obsessed with surrealism and visionary art, as well as the Pre-Rapaelites.

What would you do with $25,000?

I would use the money in some way to enlarge my studio, which is currently a bedroom in my home. Space is scarce in this situation, and having more would make my work so much easier. I could either add on to my current studio, or move to a place with a larger area that could be used as a studio. Or, maybe I would travel to Europe and study the paintings in the great museums there.