In my home workshop on the high grasslands of northern Arizona, I create pieces based on the 3Rs - reduce, reuse, and recycle - which are key tenets of sustainability. I rescue cast-off pieces from yard sales and thrift shops - they were once well used and bear subtle marks and scratches of their former lives - and give them a second life by creating hand-painted mandalas with unique designs. As I never use patterns or templates, no two pieces are ever alike.

​

Before I begin painting, I choose my color palette. Sometimes the tones and hues of the individual piece guide me in choosing colors. If it has dark tones, then a light color palette will look best. A light piece will be done with darker paints. Sometimes, color inspiration comes from the most unusual of places!

​

Prepping the work surface is simple: I give it a quick bath with mild dish soap and water, then dry thoroughly.

​

Once I get the piece to the worktable, it's time to turn on the music - I'm a huge classical violin fan, and will paint all day to Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Paganini, Bruch. Painting is not a solitary endeavor for me: my two dogs are usually sprawled at my feet, their occasional snores punctuating the violin music coming from the speaker. 

​

Every design begins with a single dot right in the center of the piece. From there, the design literally takes on a life of its own. Out of hundreds of mandalas I have painted over the years, none looks like another. The dots, drops, flowers, colors, color combinations, and sizes are all different in each one. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and the only one like it on the planet!

​

After placing the final dot, I flip the piece over and paint a small dragonfly on the bottom as my signature. Painting is done!

​

After drying, the pieces go outside to be finished with multiple coats of a rich glaze. Some artists use resin applied with a brush, but I have found that with bowls (a majority of the pieces I use), spray glaze works better for me because I'm able to apply more consistent layers and don't have to worry about dripping or pooling. All sides are sprayed, but when the painted side is glazed, that's when the magic happens: the paints I have applied transform into deep, lustrous colors that just POP!

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​