About Me
I am a native Memphian who grew up through the seventies and eighties. I have been married to my sweet husband, Frank Watson since 1997. We have two adult children, Julia Watson and Will Watson.
Art was my first friend, invisible playmate, co-conspirator and first love.
My intention is for you, my viewer just to slow your pace. I want you to enjoy the little color stories and shapes, consider the flaws in my strokes as well as those which some believe (i.e. firescale on copper or irregular shaped dots) are created in the process of my materials and to accept your own. This is what I am contemplating as I am working. I also want you to look for the rules I create and break intentionally.
​
I am constantly inspired by nature and humanity. I enjoy the juxtaposition of my rigid geometry with their rich color fields vs. organic and dimensional enamel figures. I like to break my own rules that I set so I do not always follow this rigidly. I am a combination of material and process driven.
​
Once I have your attention it is my job to keep you looking. Through all of these small spaces I am hoping to gift to you a short breath of autonomy and critical thinking. I hope it is pretty to look at too, but that is secondary.
Perfectly Imperfect
​
My near fatal flaw is that I am a perfectionist. People hear me say this and think, "That's nice, she likes things clean."
For me perfectionism is both my superpower and kryptonite. I have a difficult time moving on from something because it is not quite right, whatever right is in my mind. It can be a source of anxiety but does help me stay on a task through completion.
I did not have this problem/strength as a kid with ADHD. School could be really difficult for an easily distracted child. I was constantly being corrected and losing schoolwork. Now when something is wrong or out of place I feel anxiety around what might be lost.
My use of dots help me work out this struggle with imperfection. As I am laying out the geometric background I am the most free in the creation of a painting. I feel calmed by the perfection of the compass-drawn circles and exactly spaced angles.
In contrast with the rigid-seeming geometry the dots represent a departure from control. As I am laying each tiny drop of paint I allow the mistakes made to remain. Sometimes there is too much paint while other times one is laid in an uncomfortable spot.
I have the opportunity to wipe them away and correct myself but I fight the urge and leave it there.
When I step back I see a few things: chaos first but then organic forms, extra sparkles, and beauty. Therein lies what makes the human experience special.
It's the mistakes we make, the decisions that form our steps, the paths we find ourselves on - and the people we are with - that make life beautiful.
Seeing this helps me accept my mistakes and failures with gratitude.
​