I grew up on the Russian River in Northern California in a family of artists with a father who only ever made and sold his artwork. Despite my best efforts not to, I have managed to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a fine artist. My dad encouraged me to go into something more lucrative like law or being the president of the United States. I have paired two creative careers in Interior Design and Fine Art. Shipping ports have been the central subject of my artwork since the early 2000s. It was then that I first noticed the Oakland shipping port as a backdrop to the San Francisco Bay Area and started thinking about the implications of global trade. I was fascinated by the unregulated freeway of our oceans connecting all of us in search of the cheapest place to have coat hangers made.

I love seeing art installations in person, especially the ones that pull you into the piece. I install my pieces directly on the walls of the gallery and the wall becomes the ocean and the sky. Through sharp perspectives, vibrant colors and placing these industrial ports within the larger landscapes they sit in I invite the viewer to enter into these industrial spaces. I hope my focus on the larger natural world they are part illustrates the strength of the natural landscape shining through. Creating work about shipping ports has led me to travel to the major ports in the United States and to the Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka. Visiting the shipping port in Colombo in 2012 was a transformative experience. I was stunned by the fresh spices, culture, people and landscape. I am optimistic that we can reach a balance between our obsession with consumerism and preserving our world for future generations.

My more graphic screen prints pull the viewer into a moment in the shipping port. They utilize the direct language of advertising that the packaging materials I have worked with for years come from. In contrast my environmental collages position the port within the natural landscape showing the strength of the larger framework that these industrial sites sit within. I do believe the natural world is stronger and more majestic than the often wasteful practice of manufacturing goods and shipping them long distances. As my husband and I guide our two children through life, time away from the daily hustle exploring the natural world around us has become paramount. Making these pieces slows me down and reminds me of what is important. Magic exists between the hustle and flow of life, but you have to be open to it.