When I was three years old my father took a photo of me coloring contentedly in front of the fireplace. I loved my crayons, especially the red ones.

We moved a lot so the fireplaces changed but the crayons never left my side and were soon joined by popsicle sticks and glue that grew into all sorts of forms. They became my security blanket along with my trusty slippers.

The last time I used my crayons with gusto was in kindergarten. My boyfriend, Tommy, always wore brown. The color disturbed me. A lot. So during one of our rest periods I asked Tommy if I could add some color to his outfit. Tommy agreed enthusiastically. I took my box of crayons and colored all over his brown clothing. I had a great time. That was my first abstract expressionist painting and my last for a while. The repercussions were heard around the world.

From then on the 3-D world beckoned. It would be another 30 years before my need to be an artist exploded full force. I returned to school with a vengeance to learn anything and everything I could about the art life.

My current bodies of work deal with abstraction using acrylics on canvas and watercolor on paper. The color, light, and spatial quality of the mediums take my breath away. With the first stroke of pigment, I become a little girl again coloring contentedly in front of the fireplace mesmerized by the magic world of color.