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what's all of this "sunshine factory" business anyway?

There's a Monkees' song called "Sunny Girlfriend," in which Mike Nesmith sings "She owns and operates her own sunshine factory, painting smiles on dolls and then on me." I have always thought that was sweet and strived to be that girl. I want to bring smiles to the faces of the people who see my work.

artist statement

The closest I can come to an official statement about my art is that wings and funny hats on otherwise somber characters bring me joy. I’m a mostly self-taught artist who will probably never have the slick artist statement that accompanies a big gallery opening in New York or LA. My art is like me--down-to-earth, whimsical and intuitive—and my process is simple. I just let it come out and pray that I won’t over- or under-do it. With that said, I can’t get enough glitter or rhinestones onto my pieces.

As the oldest of 6 children growing up in New Jersey, I spent many hours making things out of cardboard boxes and scrap fabric and reading and concocting stories in my head—that is, when I wasn’t changing my siblings’ diapers or doing housework. My art training consists of two classes at Ramapo College of New Jersey: one in which my instructor encouraged me and one in which my instructor smashed my work to bits. Luckily, as an adult, I’ve managed to rekindle those favorite childhood pastimes working with found objects, rubber stamps and paper to create shrines and other altered art pieces. My favorite art is the stuff that makes me laugh.

artist bio

I was born in Northern New Jersey to a large, sheltered Catholic family. Being the oldest, I quickly became an overachiever and also very sensitive. I’ve worked a variety of jobs. For years and years I worked as a retail flunky and manager. Then I floated from work as a columnist to newspaper writer and editor, record label field, research analyst and computer instructor, among others. Today, I’m a web designer by day. That means I spend most of the day happily glued to my Mac, and anticipating the time when I can get my hand dirty with glue and paint, and work on my art projects.

I’ve lived in New Jersey, Ann Arbor, MI and Albuquerque, NM. Today, I live in Fort Collins, CO, with my husband, Tim, and our Hurricaine Katrina rescue dog, Whiskey. As disparate as my experiences have been, I’ve appreciated them all. After all, I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. I get excited about all the things I still want to do, and then I get very tired thinking about it all!