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Veil painting is a meditative process for me. It takes many hours to
apply the colors and allow each layer to dry before applying another.
During that time, I contemplate the color relationships and the forms that
begin to emerge. The first layers are almost invisible. After dozens of
applications, intensity builds until some areas become opaque.
I endeavor not to impose my ideas onto the paper. Sometimes I turn the
painting on its side or upside down before continuing, always looking for
balance and working with what is emerging. I am fascinated by the
interplay of light and darkness that gives birth to color. Each color
has its own character and influences the work uniquely. I usually begin
with two colors and let them interact for a while before introducing a
wider palette. The colors lead me to the form. The process requires
patience and courage, and it is a delightful surprise when a new direction
becomes evident. Forms are suggested rather than made obvious. The
painting reveals itself to me and to the viewer through the shifting
movements of the color veils.
I was born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia. On sabbatical at age
30, I headed for Sacramento to study art, and completed the Arts Program and
Advanced Arts Program at Rudolf Steiner College. I have taken many
workshops with master veil painters from around the world. Having reached
a turning point in my life, I am now taking my first serious steps toward
living and working as an artist. I taught and worked in administration at
Waldorf schools in Australia and California for 21 years. In that context
I taught wet method watercolor painting to children, and veil painting to
adolescents. I also taught adult classes in the wet method. I now teach
painting to individuals and small groups. My life has conspired to allow
me to follow a dream: to paint and live in a cottage by the sea.
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