Lafayette Gallery

Biographical Sketch/Artist's Statement

My mother, Helen Campe Meredith, was A professional painter with an MFA from Pratt Institute, and was one of the founders of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh PA.

I received my early training from her, and went on to major in Art at Princeton University. Later, after receiving a Masters from Stanford, I embarked on a 30-year career in advertising. Although I've painted throughout my life, I have only recently made art a major activity.

Based in part on my correspondence with Joan Miro and meetings and correspondence with Salvador Dali, I embrace the notion of graphic archetypes that can communicate across time and culture. That said, with the exception of my large non-objective abstract expressionist works, my painting is grounded in representation, taking the visual acuity of the Impressionists and abstracting a distillation of form and color.

What I try to do in my paintings is to capture the essence of what is depicted, a distillation that I also strive to make pleasing to the eye in terms of form and color and texture. As distillations, the paintings are 'abstractions', but are nonetheless mostly quite representational - almost always they are start with something I see, often in nature.

 I typically work by doing a plein air study, then a larger or more finished version in my studio. I am particularly attracted to the planes and abstract patterns and visual rhythms of Edward Hopper, Richard Diebenkorn, Nicklaus de Stael and Raimonds Staprans.