Appearing

Oil on panel, 16x20x.125, 2026

I posed this glass pear found at a vintage shop in Enumclaw, WA with a real pear and a knife on a cutting board from my kitchen. Because not everything is as it appears.

I am a Seattle-based oil painter currently focused on still life realism. My recent work centers on found glass objects sourced from thrift stores and local markets throughout Washington State. I paint these humble objects as large-scale portraits lit with strong lighting to transform the ordinary into something worth pausing for. Colorful refractions, light in the shadows, and distorted reflections inspire my work.

With over 20 years as a fashion and technical apparel designer, I trained my eye on detail, from the twist of a thread to the way fabric drapes on a body. That meticulous attention to form and texture now carries into my oil paintings, a practice I returned to more fully in 2020. I'm fascinated by how subtle shifts in light and color can make a flat surface feel three-dimensional and alive. My work has been exhibited and sold in group shows across Washington, Oregon, and California, and King County recently acquired a painting for its public archives.