"My abstract landscapes are inspired by the sensations of life within seagrass beds; the color, the energy, and interconnectedness of species. Ocean Lifeis a series of abstract paintings which explores seagrass habitats. Seagrass is a foundation plant that feeds, shelters and protects thousands of sea creatures. In Oyster Beds, I show clusters of abstracted overlapping shapes that mimic oyster reefs. Oysters filter and clear out nitrates from the surrounding water. They work symbiotically with seagrass in slowing down wave action and providing protecting shore lines. Our oceans absorb a quarter of the carbon we put into the atmosphere, and acts like a sponge and in turn the seawater becomes more acidic. This acidification is harmful for animals that build shells, like oysters, scallops and other shellfish. Seagrass can help pull carbon out of the water for photosynthesis, and store it in its root system, which makes our waters less acidic. In this painting, I was intrigued by how seagrass can create a little bubble of seawater for oysters and other shellfish threatened by ocean acidification. My favorite time to walk on the beach is at low tide. This is where so many beautiful animals leave behind a shell, or squiggles of marks, clues that so many wonderful things are happening beneath the water. In Low Tide Scallops, I painted abstracted forms; vegetation and line work that mimics patterns on a scallop. Seagrass is particularly important for scallops since baby scallops grow high up on blades of eelgrass. Here they are protected from bottom feeders during their juvenile years. Everything for me starts with color. I usually never know what the painting is about until I am almost done. In The Next Stopfor example, I started with color, line and mark making. This painting started with light washes of diluted oil paint, almost like water color one transparent layer would blend into the next color. I added charcoal lines and they were getting lost with the large scale of the painting. I put them down and pulled out my largest brushes and started drawing with gestural marks and bold lines appeared. When I did finally step back, I realized what I was painting, green crabs and their hunt for food. This was a female green crab heading to the next stop for food. My collaborations with marine ecologists help inform the content of my work. These choppy marks were like what I saw out in the field with biologist Allyssa Novak in Annisquam, Massachusetts. We were harvesting seagrass for a restoration site and I saw several green crabs in the water and on the beach. They had choppy quick movements. In this painting, I had re-created the edgy sidewards movement in pink light. Seagrass supports life in our oceans. Globally we are loosing two football fields of seagrass habitats every hour. I volunteer with local scientist and help in seagrass restoration. These collaborations enrich my paintings and provide a platform for sharing knowledge."