I have always drawn. At school, for boredom. With friends and family for fun.

I have been drawing faces since high school. I practiced drawing smiles, frowns, serious faces. I studied faces in different positions: front, slightly turned, profile, looking up, looking down. I had a “hat period”. I practiced drawing ballerinas, elegant women with interesting hairdos and dresses. So challenging!! So much fun!! However, I had not considered becoming an artist. I worked as a translator/interpreter. I traveled. I met interesting people. I love my job.

The call to paint came latish in life, spurred by painter Bob Ross, with his love of painting and nature. His short, 25-minute sessions were informative and encouraging. One Christmas, my son gave me a few canvasses and I started painting.

Just like with faces and hats, I strive to reproduce my vision (or a reference picture) exactly. I study it meticulously, research online for tips and tutorials. Then I start painting. For a while, it looks nothing like what I had in mind or the picture. But little by little, with patience and lots of tweaks and repaints, I get closer and closer to my vision. And then it happens: I feel a stirring when I look at it. At that point, I need to be careful and not over-tweak it.

I would like my art to encourage the viewer with visuals of hope and light. Offering a sense of hopeful serenity. In some paintings there may be an added layer of quiet solitude or patient anticipation. A ray of light is always present. A friend commented that my paintings are “visual meditations”.