I have been an Artist since I was old enough to realize that crayons weren't for eating and play-dough tasted really bad but was fun to squish into cool shapes. As a child I was strongly influenced by my Croatian ethnicity. Both sides of my family originated off the waters of the Mediterranean, from the island of Brac'. Fishing a way of life for generations and also their livelihood. In America, on the Puget Sound waters, their work continued successfully. The traditions involving; stories of the sea, celebrating the fishermen's' return from the sea and sharing in the wealth of the sea were prevalent themes throughout my life as a child and into the present. Therefore as artist do, I draw from what I know. I am also interested in the internal struggles and passions that drive people. My passion driven fore-fathers remind me to enjoy the journey, to continually gauge the choices in life that I make, to remain on course in pursuit of the destination. It could be a one day journey , a month, a year or a lifetime..but knowing when to pull out the compass and check my bearings is a gift they have given.
As a teacher my true success is in knowing that I have helped a student stay on course, or even more rewarding is having helped them identify the course they wish to travel. I am passionate about art! In these times where life moves so fast, it is easy to miss things that can be helpful to us. Art is one of those things. For young minds art can give them a sense of ability, individuality..identity. Those are profound. There is so much more a person can see with their eyes when they learn how to truly use their mind to look through their eyes.I love to teach! Teaching art is like making something that once seemed invisible suddenly totally obvious. I have taught at all grade levels. I started an art program at Elk Plain Elementary with the re-opening of the school. I was responsible for purchasing supplies, organizing the curriculum to be taught, and instructing children Kindergarten age to grade six. The other positions I've had involved reorganizing the curriculum, breathing life into programs that had little interest or attention when I initially arrived. One being a K-12 school in the Olympic National Forest named North River School. At the time of my employment there was only one senior that year. At Bethel Highschool in the one year I taught there enrollment in my art classes increased by nearly 50% because suddenly there was interest in art. My teaching positions included classes in basic art, drawing, painting, a graphic design course that I created, pottery and advanced art. One of the things that made art interesting to the kids was that suddenly it was seen! I displayed student work at the Post Office, Library and most importantly at their school on the walls in the halls!
Presently I am working on my artistic talent, which had been on the back burner until recently. I enjoy working with a variety of mediums. Presently my focus is on oil painting and also working in charcoal. Each medium holds entirely different avenues for expression. Oil painting I have reserved for my Scavenger Series thus far. I am in search of depicting the pure emotion associated with the intent of the subject matter.
O ne must look beyond the fact that I am painting pretty pesky water birds, and ask, "Why". Without asking, the true intent will not be found. I will make it easy, I will tell you what I am doing. I am drawing the ultimate scavenger of the sea, the seagull. People are the ultimate scavengers of the earth, stealing resources from the planet and from each other. Charcoal drawings I use to keep myself focused on emotion. The high contrast available using this medium allows for dramatic effects. Once again, mood is my main focus.
I find my subjects in secular places, each with a story about themselves and a truth that I attempt to capture in each piece. The fact that life offers different opportunities and challenges to every person is of interest to me as an artist. During the winter months I pack up my olive-green 70's-ish bowling bag full of paints, brushes and rollers and commence the spirit of the holidays by visiting local businesses and offering to paint, "something festive" for the approaching holiday. There is not a truth to discover, only a spirit of good cheer to be shared with each window shopper or customer while I am there spreading color everywhere.
