Artist Statement
I have always been involved in art making as a lens to interpret my personal imagery and a narration of the world.
The alchemy or process of translating ideas to imagery captivates me. Composition emerges though a thoughtful processes as I carve, cut, or etch lines and tones onto a plate. Layering ink or watercolor on a plate and transferring the image to paper or glass is a gradual process and the final image reveals itself when I trust my intuition. Inspired by experiences and memory, my art practice is grounding and allows me to process the joy, love, friendship, and sorrow in all aspects of life. My etchings, collagraph, and relief prints explore an atmosphere and a feeling created by a specific landscape as opposed to recreating a location and a place in time. Metaphorically my work explores the transience of our time on earth; a constantly changing place of both sanctuary and uncertainty.
I was born in California and spent my youth camping and exploring the southwest desert and Baja California. Geology, botanical forms, the landscape, and water transfixed me. I now live in the Pacific Northwest, east of Seattle. I have a degree in Art from the University of Oregon in Eugene. I also studied at the Arrowmont School of Crafts at the University of Tennessee and the University of Washington in Seattle.
Since 2020 I have shifted my media primarily to printmaking and kiln formed glass. Working from sketchbooks, I develop my work in layers, responding to imagery in a visual and tactile manner. My work is based on a personal narrative that expresses everyday stories, feelings of love and loss, and the beauty and fragility of nature. I am a full time artist and educator and teach both one-on-one and small workshops.
I met my husband Robert Spielholz in Seattle when I worked in the film industry and was teaching Fine Art in the Lake Washington School District. We founded a hot shop together and produced glass under our studio name – Andiamo Glass Design. As we collaborated, we produced vessels and sculpture that became known nationally and internationally for a unique technique of painted and cased glass forms. Many of these works are in private and corporate collections. Robert and I enjoyed the process and the “pas de deux” of imposing control and accepting each of our contributions as we blew and cast glass. Alas, in January of 2020 Robert passed away following a prolonged illness and I shifted from caregiving to refocusing on my own personal artwork. With some wonderful help my press was rebuilt, allowing me to pivot back to printmaking and repurposing my studio.