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I want to invite you to an open studio event at my Roanoke residence and studio. Featured work will include new oil and gouache paintings. There will be a series of eight gouache on paper paintings entitled ‘Goodbye Stanhope’ which highlight my favorite views of my Richmond house that I left earlier this year. Before leaving I also created another “abandoned space” of the Keysville Drive-in. The remaining oil paintings are “First Views” in the Roanoke area. Please feel free to come by.

Artist Statement:

This year was about geographic transition for me. I moved from Richmond, my home of 35 years, to Roanoke, Virginia. I was drawn here so that I could be closer to my parents and to be happily nestled into this valley of incredible natural beauty. There was a lot of fear and doubt as this was the first move I’ve made solely based on where I could be that would make me happy, and not a requirement for school or work. I had to create new patterns of work and find inspiration in the unfamiliar. I feared that I would not. I initially struggled in this new environment, not even being familiar with the streets, much less know any of its hidden secrets. I slowly explored my surroundings in depth. I found ways to push through and relied on the simple act of sitting down and just painting. Before I left though, I painted an 8-part series of my favorite views of my house in Richmond to help me get through the sadness of leaving it. Once in Roanoke, I found the comfort of new roadside landscapes that would catch my eye demanding that I understand them, and I examined local fruits and flowers that were abundant nearby. Inspiration showed itself again, challenged me and rewarded me for my persistence. The more familiar I become, the more I seem to see.