“Being an artist is a conscious choice made from a creative force that always existed within me.”
– Sir Lawrence DeLouvre, 1946 - 2013
Artist Statement
Art is my life.
A San Francisco native, I started drawing at age 6 and found solace in it. In my teens, I painted and created metal sculpture. At various periods of my adult life I have explored dance, theater and music in addition to my art practice, choosing to craft a life based on creative expression. My focus now is on the visual arts, coming full circle from where I began, using as inspiration my lifetime of experiences as an artist, dancer and performer.
In the late 1960's, I attended the Art History Program at Merritt College in Oakland. During this time I also joined Anna Halprin's Dancers Workshop in San Francisco, performing and instructing dance and theater through the mid-70's. In the early 1980's through the mid 90's, returning to my artistic roots, I established my own painting and drawing studio. It was during this period that my artistic style of fusing dance movements, colors, swirls and geometric shapes was first cultivated.
Working mostly in acrylic, my style ranges from abstract to impressionistic to realistic. My work comes through my eyes, my hands, my feelings and my spiritual experiences. My imagination is inspired by the colors of the world, nature, movement, food, and people. For me, this work is a gift and I give the world what I feel and see artistically.
My piece Rhythm of the Universe-Dance of the Gods was born of a scribble created in less than seven seconds. At first the scribble is like a cloud full of undetermined images. Then, drawing upon instincts informed by my dance background and the 'color' of life, the rhythm within the markings creates the gestures of the dancers. In this piece and throughout my work there is no separation between my work as a dancer, painter or creative being – put simply, my life as an artist.