Artists Statement

Inspiration
I have been fortunate to have traveled half the globe admiring art museums and have been mainly influenced and drawn to Traditional and Impressionist art. I most admire the drawing skills and layers of slightly varied colors in Sargents works, the value tones and brushstokes of Edgar payne, the roundness in the drawings and strokes of Sorolla and Manet, the colors and overall harmony of Monet and Van Gogh, and the subjects of the Impressionsit/Belle Epoque times, agreeing that beauty that can be found outdoors and in simple things.
I feel my French heritage plays a very large roll in the inspiration of my works, mainly in subject. I admired my french grandfather François Ricaud very much. He taught me at a very young age, the launguage, culture, art and often recounted stories of summers he spent in provence, things he saw, and scenes I now visit today and capture on my canvas. Much of my passion for art stems from the French history and art history I have studied, growing up with it and then honoring in French Litterature. I grew up the daughter to a fashion designer/antique dealer to the stars in the art community of Laguna Beach and was painting on silk and selling creations at age 8. Ive been passionate about art all my life, but only in the recent years have I been able to dedicate myself to it as my main career.

A Lasting Impression
My art education is both from classical schooling as well as internships from professional painters often working on location. Both have helped mold my style to be traditional and realist in nature and yet slightly loose and often alla prima. I enjoy the subtle changes in value and color within each thing I paint, such as in a feild of fresh cut wheat, there are at least four or five main shades of gold and yellow and I enjoy mixing them and laying them down side by side to build the image. Oil allows me to layer colors that are similar next to each other and even on top, allowing for some semi controlled mixing of the two colors to form a third that is often an accidental and beautiful mix. They are rich in color and allow me to create the contrast I enjoy seeing in nature. With oils I can give importantance to an aspect of the scene I most want to convey by highlighting them with a thicker stroke, adding more light or contrast. The design of the composition is also something of note to me. For example how a mountain ridge is disrupted by a tree breaking the line. The graphic layout and simplicity of a silloette with a subtle atmospheric sky is pleasing to my eye as the subject is simple and stands out. Where the subject is placed in relation to its surroundings.
Whether it’s a golden wheat field where the wind blows and the tall reeds sway in the sunlight, an Italian Riviera port when the light brightens the side of multicolored boats, or the cool quietness sitting under the shade of rows of platan trees as the sun flickers between long purple shadows at the end of the day. My work is simply about capturing a moment, the way I saw it or experienced it. It may not be the exact colors of the scene, rather what I remember, or saw as most important part of that moment. The works are of my favorite places in the world at my favorie times of day. I have had the privilage to travel the world and see and experience many incredibly beautiful places and If I can capture those times, those moments where I stood, and make a lasting impression on canvas with the richness of oils, then Ive succeded in sharing an amazing thing.

Production
Being in front of my subject is a crucial part of my works. Whether I create the work on location or take a photo, make a small watercolor sketch of that moment or scene, its important to me to have experienced it first hand. My works are done in the studio and on location. If Im working on location they are completed within a few hours as Im usually trying to capture a time of day that changes quickly with nature and the sun as it moves changes the shadows. If Im completing a studio peice, I normally will have taken a photo and done a small oil, watercolor or pencil sketch of the scene with notes. Some works in the studio take only an hour painted alla prima and some will take up to 10 hours to complete. I work on a primed canvas or linen, stretched myself or bought. I prime my canvas’s with an additional mixed beige/brown color similar to that of old raw linen. I enjoy when it can be seen thru the works and creates a neutral base for the colors. My works vary in size from a small 8x10 to large 36x48 peices. My subjects include Provincial and Tuscan landscapes, Paris city scenes, cafe scenes, the riviera with colorful ports and boats, still lifes, and ocean scences from around the world.

Wendt Gallery Solo Exhibition, Laguna Beach 2006