About Me

I have sketched and painted my entire life. I got in trouble in elementary school for drawing on my blotter during class! As a teenager, I won an award in high school, and again later as a young adult, when I studied at the Montreal Museum of Art. My art was then put on hold because I then chose a career as a clinical psychologist, and raised three children.

I have exhibited my work at local art fairs in the Portland Metro area for several years. One of my favorites was the West Linn “Art in the Forest” show, which I did for three consecutive years. In 2010, I returned to my home of 40 years, and participated in the Palo Alto Arts Festival.

My Work

My medium is the use of ink and watercolors. I usually start with a quick pencil sketch, followed by an ink drawing. Then, I add watercolors — sometimes paint first, sometimes the paint is applied after a water wash. I work quickly, and either the piece will go right into the trash, or it will get framed. I have sketched and painted my entire life.

I got in trouble in elementary school for drawing on my blotter during class — especially Latin class! In those days, I was obsessed with drawing horses, but now my favorite subject is the human body — face or figure. I’m sure my love of drawing people is partly a result of a 40 year career as a psychotherapist. I am particularly attracted to personal relationship themes. Again, this reflects my professional specialization in couples therapy, and also of course, the overriding importance and preciousness of relationships in my life. One of the aims in my art is to combine the fascinating reality of the “real” image with some incompleteness, which allows the viewer to make it his or her own.

Most of my framed paintings and my matted unframed prints are 8″ by 10″ or 11″ by 14″. A few are 16″ by 20″, and a few are 5″ by 7″. I feel most comfortable working at a size where several images can be grouped in a larger space, or one image can stand alone in a more contained space, and yet not dominate the room.

Contact

snandsr@earthlink.net