MountainFineArt

Welcome to my little corner of the world. I live in in the mountains of West Virginia and create collages, drawings, and button portraits from paper, gesso and colored pencils. All of my work is original and unframed.

I am obsessed with and drawn to vintage clothing buttons. I have collected old buttons (mostly in various tins and mason jars) since I was 12. How many buttons do I have? Sometimes I imagine filling up a 6-foot bath tub with all of my buttons and then diving in.

When I am blue or feeling contemplative, I love to take out a special jar or tin and sift through the tiny treasures within. Sometimes I sort the buttons by color or shape. Sometimes I imagine the story held by each button, especially the buttons that still have thread attached. What is the secret life of the button? What vital piece of clothing did this button once hold together? Who was the previous owner of this button? Did I mention that I have an overactive imagination? ;-)

I have been a practicing artist and arts educator for a couple of decades and draw inspiration from art, kids, music, television, film, books, and nature. If you look at it right, everything can provide inspiration, motivation, or even a fresh perspective.

I hold a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. I used to live in Baltimore and Philadelphia but tired of the stress of city life. Now I live about 2,000 feet up in the beautiful hills of West Virginia.

Why buy original art? What you live with and display on your walls, in your office, in your kitchen, in your home, it says a lot about who you are and what you value. You won't find my artwork in a big box discount department store. My artwork isn't on QVC. My drawings and collages do grace the walls of private collectors all over the world, people who enjoy handmade art created by a unique and creative individual.

Thank you for stopping by my virtual art gallery.