Many of my paintings develop from my immersion in Art History, which I have studied and taught for over thirty years. I assemble my works from materials both traditional and non-traditional: oil and acrylic paint, fabric and rice paper, glass beads and gold leaf. Each painting is a new beginning, though often in dialogue with artists or objects from the past, whether those be fossils, Egyptian artifacts, or iconic twentieth century paintings such as "The Conversation" by Matisse.