From early childhood my life was involved with music and poetry. I followed words and sound for decades in my educational path, which also provided the structure for my professional life as a teacher and a poet. Throughout these decades I secretly dreamed of being a visual artist. Being an artist was not acceptable in my family—only music and words and intellectual pursuits were valued. Finally I turned away from restrictions and began to explore photography and drawing.
Very quickly painting became my path for seeing and understanding what surrounds me. It is a way of understanding much more than the visual particulars of surfaces that are only a beginning. It is the shapes, colors and textures that I see in my mind and feel with my hands that provide the inspiration for the work I do.