This is one of my favorite pieces from the start of the Lands and Peoples series. Oil, pastel, gouache and ink on panel, 48 x 40 inches. I began the piece in 2000 but did not really finish it until 2002 or 2003. I originally had George Harrison song lyrics in the background in the upper right side of the panel. When I was a student at Calarts my studio was right next door to the Balinese Gamelan room, and over the years the drum beats of the African music and dance program also provided a constant soundtrack to my artistic production. I was married to a songwriter for many years – that also coincided with my training to be an artist. I was a dancer once upon a time, even teaching dance before I taught art (took a minor in dance from WWU and while at Calarts auditioned in order to take classes within the School of Dance, which I did throughout my studies). Movement and music have always been part of who I am as a person and as a painter.