Biography
I am the only child of Italian American parents who arrived in America from the hills of Tuscany and the mountains of Puglia. The narrative of my life has been the inspiration for my art work. It could be the iconography of the Catholic Church, the handmade cloths of my childhood, vintage photos of my parents, pop imagery of movie star cowboys, or my constant influencers, the artists of the early Renaissance, they all populate my paintings in one form or another.
Fresh out of college, I found myself in Colorado beginning a career in art education. It was there that my artist husband built a loom that I immediately gravitated to and began to use. I later purchased a 48" loom with an overhead beater. I soon found out that my grandmother, while living as a peasant in Umbria, during the Mezzadria farming system, was weaving an intricate patterned bedspread (the same type of loom as pictured on this page). I resumed my art teaching and art supervising career after I moved to New York City. Fortunately I found myself buying a house in Red Hook, where I rented a studio and have been both a teacher and artist for 30 years. I am captivated by the light in Red Hook. At the end of my street I see Ellis Island where my father, along with his mother and siblings, landed in 1914. Next to Ellis Island is the iconic Statue of Liberty, in her technicolor dreamcoat that changes color with the weather. I just came back from Spannochia, a 13th villa outside of Siena, where I studied and painted in the ancient painting techniques of casein and egg tempera used by early Renaissance artists. All around me is evidence of Red Hook's maritime history and now I find myself full circle applying for a residency in Venice to study the maritime history of Venice, weaving, fabric and early Renaissance art. |