Artist's Statement
Many times I have been encouraged to choose one particular avenue of creativity and concentrate my efforts there.
Photo by Larissa Herbert
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!
Photo by Larissa Herbert
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!
