Abstracts Gallery

My surreal abstract pencil drawings are a unique form of self portraiture. They can be characterized somewhere between Escher’s relentlessly exact surrealism and Dali’s free flowing surreal imagery. I use an evolving syntax of visual symbols to explore my subconscious and translate my interior world into portraits of my emotional mindscape. Much like music causes the two sides of the brain to communicate more quickly and easily, the therapy of drawing these images has helped me become more self-aware and more able to process life challenges as I sort out truth for myself.

You'll notice recurrent themes of fragility, connection, and movement as these abstract mindscapes seek to alchemize raw emotional states into charted paths of light and healing. I use phrases from literature and lyrics from music to map the shifting landscape of a life lived in the balance between darkness and light.

For more information on the symbols, musical lyrics, and phrases I use, please see the symbols page.

This surreal piece is an elegy to grief.

This piece grapples with fear of intimacy and reflects on the relationship between life and death.

This surreal piece is a reflection on power dynamics and the role of women in western culture.

This striking surreal piece expresses the artist's struggle to protect her children at costly expense to herself.

This surreal piece was inspired by the innocent beauty of childhood.

At a time when the artist was processing a lot about organized religion this surreal piece was inspired by the craggy silhouette of a church at dusk.

This surreal piece was crafted as an epitaph for a relationship.

This surreal piece has a dreamy beauty with its graceful flowing lines, magical flowers, and winking stars.

This surreal piece is a reflection on abusive relationships.

Early surreal piece reflecting on life in Seattle.

This surreal piece processes some of the transition to motherhood.

This surreal piece engages with the conflict we feel when we lose something in order to gain something.

This surreal piece was created in response to traveling across the country to a funeral.

This surreal piece explores how one way of being creative can consume another.

In this surreal piece the artist reflects on how humans communicate and connect.

This piece focuses on the emotion of loneliness.

This surreal piece is about forging your way in the world.

This surreal piece is a reflection on the mystery of the subconscious self.

This surreal piece is a commentary on moving from one life phase into another.

This is a love song for a lost love that almost was.