Who Am I?

In my opinion, the best art is intuitive – one individual’s interior experiences outwardly expressed in artistic media. For me, this media is paper, combined with pencils, pastels and natural or found objects. For as long as I can remember, imagination has been my best friend, creating art as necessary as breathing. When I work in my studio I become totally immersed in a delightful universe of colors, textures and shapes. Time stands in limbo.

Collage is perfectly suited to my philosophy of visual expression. It is at once painting, drawing, sculpture and assemblage. Creating values and dimensions with paper, exploring new materials and combinations of objects to create a unified whole is always an exciting challenge. Working in the medium of collage, I must let the materials have the upper hand, which allows for a fresher, more spontaneous appearance to the final product.

Showing my work as a collection allows me to record my artistic development and progression of thought and technique. Viewing one piece alone is not adequate to illustrate this. It is helpful to stand back and view the body of work; it is also important to receive feedback from others.

I love what I do. Art is such an essential part of our world; it records our history and reminds us of our humanity. Art feeds and fills the soul. To be even a small part of that grand tradition, to have even a minute association with the masters, is an honor and responsibility I am proud to uphold.

Education

Wright State University, Fairborn, Ohio, Master of Humanities, fine arts concentration, 2007.

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, “Artists as Educators,” certified training to present visual arts workshops to teachers and students, 2004 to present.

Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio, independent study with artist/educator Willis “Bing” Davis, 1986-1988.

Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, Bachelor of Fine Arts, With Distinction, concentration in printmaking, teacher certification K-12, 1979.

Professional Experience

Adjunct Professor, Kettering College, Kettering, Ohio, Studio art and Art History, 2005 to present.

Adjunct Professor, Wright State University, Fairborn, Ohio, Art History, 2003 to 2019.

Gallery Director, Diane Kidd Gallery of Art at Tiffin University, Tiffin, Ohio, 2007 to 2013.

Resident Artist, The Muse Machine, a non-profit arts organization providing art experiences and residencies in Dayton, Ohio area schools, 2004 to 2008.

Guest lecturer, Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio, 2007.

Member, advisory committee for symposium on “Time’s Body of Evidence: An Interdisciplinary Look at Health and Aging,” Wright State University, 2006.

Graduate Assistant, Wright State University, Humanities Department, 2003-2004.

Co-owner and exhibiting artist, Conversation Pieces Gallery, Tipp City, Ohio, 1993-2001.

Art Teacher, K-8, Dayton Public Schools, 1988-1992.

Advertising Copywriter, Elder-Beerman Stores Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, 1986-1988.

Art Director, Scottish and Irish Imports, Ltd., Annapolis, Maryland, 1983-1985.

Prayer in Four Parts

Honors and Exhibitions

Rosewood Arts Center, Kettering, Ohio, “Works on Paper,” 1999, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2013. Award of Excellence, 2006, Most Creative Use of Paper, 2013.

Dayton Society of Painters and Sculptors, Ohio, “Salon des Refuses”, 2013.

Art at the Trace, Centerville, Ohio, 2013.

Bear’s Mill, One Person Exhibition, Greenville, Ohio, 2012.

Gallery M Collections, One Person Exhibition, Granville, Ohio 2012.

Gateway Arts Council, Sidney, Ohio, “Spring Fling”, 2012.

Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio, “Inside the Box”, a 24 artist invitational exhibition, 2012.

National Collage Society Juried Members Exhibition, Honorable Mention, 2011.

Ohio Collage Society Members Exhibition, Dayton, Ohio, 2011.

Visceral Gallery, Centerville, Ohio, “Color Restrained”, 2010.

Cincinnati Art Club, Cincinnati, Ohio, “42nd Viewpoint, 2010.

At Peace Wellness and Massage, “Sangfroid, an Invitational Exhibit”, Vandalia, Ohio, 2010.

“Ladyfest”, Dayton, Ohio, 2010.

Sinclair Community College, “Faculty Exhibition”, 2010.

Ohio Collage Society Annual Exhibition, Diane Kidd Gallery of Art, Tiffin University, Tiffin, Ohio, 2010.

Dayton Visual Arts Center, Dayton, Ohio, “Chrysalis Project: A Safe Place to Grow”, 2010.

Wright Dunbar Urban Nights Art Exhibit, Dayton, Ohio, 2010.

Sacred Ground, Marianist Environmental Education Center, Dayton, Ohio, 2010.

Dayton Society of Painters and Sculptors, Ohio, “Abstractions and Contemporary Work”, August, 2009.

Cannery Art and Design Center, Dayton, Ohio, “Five Females…Five Artists…Five Viewpoints, June, 2009.

Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, National Collage Society, “Wish You Were Here,” 2009.

Ohio Collage Society Members Exhibition, Hudson, Ohio, Award of Merit for Body of Work, 2008.

Diane Kidd Gallery of Art, TiffinUniversity, Tiffin, Ohio, “Dinner in the City”, one-person exhibition, 2007.

Wright State University, Fairborn, Ohio, Outstanding Graduate Student, Master of Humanities, 2007.

WrightStateUniversity, “Dinner in the City,” Master’s Thesis Exhibition, 2007.

Tiffin University, Tiffin, Ohio, “Dinner in the City”, one-person exhibition, 2007.

Wright State University, Fairborn, Ohio, Outstanding Graduate Student, Master of Humanities Program, 2007.

Wright State University, Fairborn, Ohio, “Dinner in the City,” Master’s Thesis Exhibition, 2007.

Area Art Show,Middletown Arts Center, Middletown, Ohio, 2006.

Artwork featured in The New Creative Artist, Nita Leland, North Light Books, 2006.

Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, “Women Artists, a Celebration,” 2003, 2004, and 2006.

Dayton Visual Arts Center Annual Art Auction, Dayton, Ohio, 2001-2007.

Aullwood Audubon Center, Englewood, Ohio, exhibitions in 2002 and 2006.

Dayton Visual Arts Center Members Show, Dayton, Ohio, 1999-2003, 2005, 2008, 2010.

Rutledge Gallery, Dayton, Ohio, “The Sight of Music,” 2005.

International Society of Experimental Artists Annual Exhibition; Forth Worth, Texas, 2005; Grand Junction, Colorado, 2000; Huntsville, Alabama, 1999.

Lincoln Center, New York, New York, National Collage Society, “Wish You Were Here,” 2002, 2009.

Trinity Lutheran Church, Dayton, Ohio, one-person exhibition, 2002.

Global Art Project for Peace, International Art Exchange; Participating Artist and Regional Coordinator, 2002.

Wright State University Art Gallery, “Unheard Voices: Four Women Artists,” 2002. Tenth anniversary exhibition, 2009.

Kettering Government Center, Kettering, Ohio, one-person exhibition, 2002.

Borders Books Gallery, Dayton, Ohio, one-person exhibition, 2001.

AIDS Foundation Benefit, Dayton, Ohio, “Art in the Atrium,” 2001.

Tri-Art Annual Members Show, Dayton, Ohio, Best of Show, 2001.

Collage Artists of America Open, Northridge, California, 2000.