When I was young I painted thousands upon thousands of cute little images on mother-of-pearl earrings for a cottage industry. My mother always encouraged me to do cute images…those were the ones she loved. As most artists do in school, I went dark and broody (mothers worry about these things!). I still lean that way, but have found a mid zone in my work that keeps me happy, and still has a chance of going home with someone else.

Recently I was working in encaustic with a new technique and was suddenly called to do cute. The technique ends up feeling like children’s books I loved. I now want to play with all sorts of children’s imagery, simple, but touching some spot in my heart.