After taking about 15 years off to do some writing and obtain a Ph.D. in Psychoanalysis, she returned with a vengeance to photography. Traveling with her 35mm Canon Rebel cameras and various lenses, she has been taking pictures and building a portfolio since 1991. Entering the world of digital manipulation in 1997, she found the perfect way to combine her interests in film and painting. Working from the original 35mm photographs, she uses the tools of her photography program to manipulate and paint with the elements of the picture.
The result: Digital Photopaintings.

I call my work Digital Photopainting. My aim is to achieve a painterly look, sometimes with a totally flat perspective, or other times with a softer look. I have always loved the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, their full use of negative space and bright color. Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat, Degas and Matisse are deep sources of inspiration.

When I am working with the camera I want to achieve a solid picture before I start working on the computer. I use the Canon Rebel series (presently the Rebel 2000) and several lenses including the Canon IS 75-300mm, the Canon IS 28-135mm, and an 18-35mm Vivitar wide-angle lens. In the towns I hold the camera by hand, but for landscapes I use a very lightweight Slik tripod, 1 1/2 lbs. A painterly look often begins with the telephoto lens or with my choice of composition. It is also helped by my choice of film which is usually Kodak E100VS or E200 (slide film). The higher ASA gives me more flexibility, and the vivid colors of these Kodak Ektachromes suit my warm impressionist palette.

I am drawn to capturing the image and then transforming it according to an inner vision. Sometimes I don't consciously know the vision until my hands and the mouse create it. When I started working with my photography on the computer in 1997 I felt I had found my medium. I use Arcsoft Photo Studio 2.0 and print with an Epson 1280. I do everything myself except for scanning, which is done on a Kodak Photo CD. When I'm working on my Dell Dimension 4300 and 15” Flat Digital Screen, it is like I am painting with the oils of my art student days. But now it is done with the click of the mouse. For instance, increasing saturation not only changes the hue and makes the colors stronger, but also transforms the pixels to create a more painterly look; excessive sharpening will separate the pixels to achieve a pointillistic effect like that of Seurat; taking away little blemishes can flatten a particular color area. I enjoy the experimentation and the idea that each of my Digital Photopaintings is a unique product of my vision.