I am a visual artist living and working in Sonoma, CA. I was born in San Francisco, immersed in the arts and culture of the Bay Area and began my professional career by obtaining a BFA from the University of San Francisco and the Academy of Art College, then a MFA from Rhode Island School of Design, both in painting.
I met my husband Frank Cavaz, master glassblower, at RISD, and we had a glass blowing shop for 20 years. We designed a line of hand blown glass lighting that was sold through out the United States for residential and hospitality installations. During that time I made glass sculpture as it was the material at hand. My glass "chaplets" were exhibited in the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and the Sonoma County Museum in Santa Rosa.
Today, my practice focuses on "lace paintings" which are acrylic on canvas, hyper-detailed works, balance the delicacy of perceived domestic and feminine crafts such as lace and doilys, with the weight of the relevant social issues of today, such as climate change, gun control, and feminine reproductive rights. The paintings have been exhibited throughout the US in museums and galleries.
The Horses of the Apocalypse paintings present a critical view of the humanitarian crisis in Syria. My work embodies the Persian rug through the stylistic recreation of Syrian Tribal Kilims. Each kilim is infused with various symbols that serve and cater to a unique purpose and tradition. War is the theme for Red Horse of the Apocalypse, and thus, the painting reflects this theme in its symbolic imagery. Yellow Horse is focused on famine, while Pale Horse is disease, and Black Horse, death; yet each piece follows the pattern for the symbols chosen.
My intention in these paintings is to portray the view of the refugee. The four depictions of the apocalypse are daily realities for a refugee. In each painting, a carousel horse is running scared for her safety. Although armored in her culture, she is terrified.
Additionally, the subject matter for each body of my work determines the materials used. For the “Rug Paintings” series, I use the opaque and matte Flashe Vinyl paint; a lush, velvety, highly pigmented medium, which mimics the colorful kilim rugs.