Working on muslin stretched on a panel of doorskin (thin plywood), I began with watery washes of acrylic, scraped color, and gestural strokes that were brushed on, allowed to dry for a short while and then washed off. I also transferred textures from cut-out foam shapes and snakeskin. Images began to appear and suggested other images. Some I outlined with a small brush. Using resist with clear acrylic and scraped paint, I brought out some of the images by creating more contrast. I also used water-based crayons and pencils to develop some of the shapes.

The images arose from sources in Egypt, Asia and Central America--female images, goddess images--who seemed to be coming together, hence the title, “Gathering.”