Path to the Sea

I've been dancing since the age of 5 and worked as a professional dancer since 1992. Being a dancer has inspired me to be drawn to subjects that have beautiful movement – light, clouds, sky, grasses, water, anything resembling hair or fur. My paintings have fairly melancholic themes within the portrait, still life, and landscape genres. I generally attribute this predilection to the Swedish part of my genes. Sometimes my paintings accidentally turn out to be a little happier but this is without intent on my part.

My goal in painting is to capture my feelings about a subject and not just the subject itself. I am moved by the expressions of people who have not had an easy time in life, or who are going through a difficult transition. I am compelled to tell their stories and share them with the world through my paintings with the hope that this will foster empathy, understanding, and connection.

I’m fascinated and excited by the three-dimensional, sculptural aspects of oil paint, the way light passes through their layers and bounces off brushstrokes. I love the way this can create a feeling of the painting dancing or moving as you view it from different locations, and that oil paintings must be seen in person to have a full sense of their three-dimensionality. In this day and age of instant gratification and fast, bright images, I’m compelled toward work that is subtle and requires seeing in person with quiet contemplation to grasp fully.