Artist's Statement

Many times I have been encouraged to choose one particular avenue of creativity and concentrate my efforts there.

The thinking behind that advice was that I needed to devote myself to one endeavor so that I might become successful.

THAT
DIDN'T
WORK
FOR ME.

I am not torn between writing, composing, and painting. I find that I need several outlets.

I have always been a writer.

As soon as I learned cursive, I found I could write down my ideas quickly (printing is laborious) and loved writing poems. I also wrote little stories and created my own fairy tales. I have continued doing that my whole life.

Some of the poems I wrote were like songs so when I was thirty I started to play the guitar and set my poems to music.

I have written a lot of songs and love performing them.

The guitar was so much fun, I decided to try my hand at the piano and love it. If I get bored with writing, I play the piano or write a song.

A friend, the musician 3 HAND STEPHEN, has recorded his arrangement of one of my songs, Atomic Clock, and I am writing more lyrics for him.

Ten years ago, my sister, Jeanne Collins, suggested I try painting.

I thought it was a terrible idea since I had tried oil painting at one time and it was a disaster. I had created a canvas of oil mud.

I could not stand waiting around for it to dry before I could continue.

She suggested acrylics and took me to her studio to try it out. I loved it. I've been mad for painting since then and have finished literally hundreds of paintings.

Thank goodness people like and buy them or I would run out of space!

So I will continue with all my various pursuits because they make me happy.

Creating something that has never existed before is a great thrill to me, whether it is a book, a song, or a painting.

I like to share what I have made in the hope that you will enjoy seeing the results of my creative process and that it will inspire you to create as well.

And of course I would love to have you purchase a book or a painting!