On a field trip to the zoo, I saw a snake called the Amethystine Boa...I just thought "Amethystine" was a cool word. Since Amethyst is also a purple gem, I tinted my heroine's skin accordingly. I was in the early stages of developing a taste for twisted perspectives and hidden faces within the scene, so there's a lot of that fun stuff going on in there.

At the time I was a Junior in high school and needed to express my angst for the opposite sex . As a female, I wanted to convey independence, survival, and vengeance. Another Wolf was my outlet.

Approximately 8.5 x 11

Based off of a sketch that I did in 1991, I got around to doing Somber ten years later. Go figure.

I incorporated into this piece many objects that I fancy: the castle interior, the organ, wine, suit of armor, long curtains, a fireplace, a grandfather clock, and most of all -- mystery.

People always ask about the stories behind the (scenes) pieces that I do, but I don't like to give too much away. I find it much more rewarding to leave that to the imagination of the viewer. That's why most books provide better entertainment than the movie versions of them. Besides, all the pieces, themselves, need to have an element of mystery behind them, too.

Approximately 15 x 15

In a passing and vague conversation I recall, someone used a certain phrase to describe a clumsy knight, saying he was "Swan Lake in Armor." It struck me as a very visual concept. People in armor are rarely graceful, and the person was obviously joking, but I saw something else...I saw the motion of ballet mixed with shiny metal in a sweeping movement caught in time.

Upon graduation from college, I used this piece as one of my earlier promo sheets.

Approximately 8.5 x 11