“Hey, you’re the Grackle Lady!” I now embrace this title much like I chose to embrace the grackles that are commonly referred to as pests in Austin, TX.  Coming from the east coast and looking for new painting inspiration I found interest in these pesky, loud birds. They ate all my dogs’ food, pooped all over my deck, and made an endless racket. The fake owl couldn’t deter them nor any other effort so I decided to pay homage in oil paint on small wooden panels. I started with a dozen paintings of grackles perched on my backyard fence. This seemed to do the trick and the grackles disappeared…at least temporarily. I also discovered there was an underground grackle fan club who helped support my painting inspiration. This love/hate relationship is common among the grackle fans. Their iridescent colorings and yellow eyes are striking, their personalities are inquisitive, comical and aggressive, and their mating rituals are so entertaining. 

My bicycle series is influenced by my love of cycling. It started when I completed a portrait of my Schwinn Typhoon that once went missing for weeks but I was able to steal back! I bike everywhere and often spot cool bikes around Austin that I draw later. I enjoy the tedious, technical work of the drawing and the surprise when someone recognizes their bike. I happily accept bike portrait commissions.

All of my work is on wood panels that I build myself. I enjoy building as much as painting and drawing and spend equal time in the woodshop and my painting studio. My studio is in my backyard which ironically I built from money gained after a cycling accident.