In the Studio: Winter 2025

Small studies from my studio this winter~

This winter has been a deep dive into two beloved subjects: Tonalism and Color. For those of you who know a bit about art history, those two topics might seem to be antithetical, but I see them as two sides of the same coin. Tonalists depicted light and form with limited chroma (how bright a color is) and values (how light or dark a color is). Colorists on the other hand, often depict light and form through shifts in hue and chroma. Tonalist paintings are quiet, contemplative, and give me that “ahhhhhhh…..” feeling. But…who doesn’t love a riot of color? Some of my favorite artists (like my friend Kim Richards) paint works of art that make me feel positively buoyant.

Both styles are simply different modes of expression.

I’ve become fascinated with American tonalists in recent years for two reasons:

1.) Many of them spent time in my happy place: Brittany, France. Whistler, Frederick Edwin Church, John Henry Twachtman and scores of others found the magical light of Brittany a salve to the soul. (I get it. I truly do.)

2.) Tonalism was, in many ways, a response to a difficult time. America was reeling after the Civil War, so quiet compositions, muted colors, and peaceful scenes became quite popular among art collectors. I don’t know about you, but this past year has left me longing for peace.

This winter, I have experimented with both tonalism, and high chroma paintings.

So what have I learned? A lot about color for starters. It is amazing what limiting yourself can teach you — and what can be learned by embracing the lack of limits. In any event, theoretical questions about how to express something visually is an endless fascination for me, an itch that I will never be finished scratching.

If you would like to see what I’ve been working on, join me at The Annual Art Show & Sale at The Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase, April 4th - 6th. (7931 Connecticut Ave, Chevy Chase, Md.) I have 5 paintings in the show!