This was a great five week adventure in the city of Tena, Ecuador on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest. I explored painting with traditional pigments from the jungle and had many great discussions with Ecuadorian artists in their studios. Currently, I am working with a team to create an Ecuadorian Papermaking Co-operative and an Amazonian Pigment Art Supply Store.

I see increased need, but no increased funding. In May 2018 the research project I authored, funded by the State of Maine Arts Commission, “The Live Artist in the Chemotherapy Treatment Facility,” was completed. My research assistant, Betsy Parks-Stamm, and myself collected over 130 surveys of patients, staff, and patient supports. The outcomes were not surprising. When an artist was painting, patients receiving chemotherapy were less stressed and talked with each other more. The surprise outcome, which was not expected, was that the presence of a “Live Artist” creating lessened the job load for nurses. From the project, we experienced that many patients were lonely, socially isolated, and came to chemo by themselves. They wanted to talk to nurses for hours. By diverting attention to the artist, and to other patients in the room, research showed the painter’s presence helped alleviate “Compassion Fatigue” in nurses.

Video

In October 2018 myself, another artist and a tech specialist/friend created an interactive art project for Rett’s Roost. This Maine Foundation hosts retreats for families with children who have had cancer. We created a 2 hour project recording families voices on tiny computers and then embedded the tech in art, which they also created. The end product was a family painted piece of art that had voices and stories in it. The need and interest is there by everyone, but once more the organizations that could most benefit do not have, or have not prioritized, money allotted to interactive storytelling-art projects.

My current painting practice was inspired by a trip to Ireland and Scotland this past September, where I fell in love with Irish fabric designers. My favorite was a designer named, Lucienne Day. I stumbled into an exhibition showcasing her work at the Dublin Castle Gallery. Currently, I am creating tribute oil paintings inspired by her fabric. Each oil painting is 48 x 72 inches. They will debut at a show all together in 2019.

I have always been an artist. There are photos from an early age with my bottle propped on my sesame street easel. In elementary school my family relocated from Kentucky to Seattle. I was an only child and didn’t know anyone. My refuge was the creation of an entire paper doll world. In high school I had an art teacher tell me that I was a natural colorist and everything took off from there.

I have always loved architecture and I was accepted into the University of Kentucky School of Architecture for college, which was very selective. However, I ended up receiving a liberal arts degree from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. I have always been a city girl and I feel most at home in urban places. Living in Maine for the past six years has been a struggle. My favorite city in America is Philadelphia. When I lived there I just painted as much as I could in the most tourist rich places I could find. I wore ballgowns and had a fabulous time!!!

My professional career as an artist has spanned 31 years. As a mother of three, I paint my family as it grows, but often do not showcase those paintings. I am trained as a classical oil painter, but I have also explored sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, and currently interactive art that merges sensors and technology. In Maine, my body of landscapes and science based Bio Art has taken precedence. An artist reflects what surrounds them. My traditional oils on canvas are created in my studio and my interactive Biology Art is created in a makerspace with a team of collaborators. YourArtGallery currently showcases most of my urban architectural oils from Philadelphia.

Yes. This past year I received a grant from Maine Arts Commission and authored a project with New England Cancer Specialists. See Erin's blog.

For the past three years I have been creating a mixed media series called Petri Dish. These large touchable paintings are inspired by looking at biology through a microscope. Like architecture, biology has always held a deep interest for me. Currently, I am working with a collaborative team integrating sound and light into the work. Ideally these pieces will be installed in research facilities and in science related academic settings including medical universities and high schools.

Of Course!!! This summer my family is following our college daughter to a five week Public Health College Internship in the Amazon. We will be living in a small community and I will be creating art. For the past semester I’ve been taking a college class to brush up on my Spanish and I am entering the adventure with flexibility and spontaneity. In my research I am looking forward to meeting local artists and seeing what projects we can co-create! Stay tuned!

www.ArtistAMERICAN.com