I was drawn to collage by the endless possibilities of repurposing paper. My collages draw from fragments of my recent drawings and original inked prints, as well as from the flood of visual information on paper flowing into our lives every day. I often incorporate photo transfers and altered-beyond-recognition magazine papers, as well as found objects and textured material. Exposed to textiles from an early age through my family’s fabric store, I am dazzled by the extensive variety of color and pattern and am inspired to explore juxtapositions of color, line, and shape. I begin a collage with nothing set in mind. My intuition leads; in exploring the tension of opposites, harmonies, and repetition, I’m uncovering and making space for depth, an inner congruency, and/or conversation among the elements. I rely on my intuition, experimentation, and spirit of play to surprise and delight. My sometimes strange metaphoric landscapes made of cut and ripped imagery have the air of dreams translated into improvisational and playful terrains of their own. With my layered mixed-media paintings, I begin making marks with charcoal, pencil, and crayon. I then add layers of paint and often collage, sometimes concealing, sometimes revealing what’s underneath. The possibilities and properties of paint are allowing me to expand my visual language, move my work forward, and explore the unknown.