A few years ago, when I was teaching a writing
workshop, I asked my students to name the five areas or issues they
were most passionate about. I wanted them to name their desires so they
could mine them for material. They made their lists and read them aloud
and then I read them mine. Standing in front of the classroom, I ticked
off my list of longings and desires: 1) Art 2) Literature 3) Creativity
4) Spirituality 5) The core of what makes us human. The room was
silent, except for one student who let out a little squeak. “The core
of what makes us human?” she asked. “To be honest,” I told her, “the
first four are just avenues to pursue the last one.”
I fell in love with art history when I was a senior in high school. I was taking a class on “Western Civiliaztion” and was seduced by the lush landscapes and nudes of Renoir. In college I sat in dark lecture halls watching the monuments of Europe flicker on the screen. The stained glass windows of Chartre and Notre Dame made my eyes dance. When I emerged from my classrooms, everything seemed brighter and more colorful.
I have been writing about art professionally since 1985. My essays and reviews have been published in museum catalogues, newsletters, anthologies, textbooks, and professional journals. In addition to writing for numerous art magazines, including Art News, Art Papers, New Art Examiner, and Theater and Drama Review, I have reviewed art for the Texas Observer and the Austin Chronicle, and served as the art critic at the Austin American-Statesman. Recently I’ve begun publishing in other genres. In the spring of 2008, Amoskeag: The Journal of the Southern University of New Hampshire published my short story, “Right on My Chest.” And my first essay on parenting, “Little Electra,” appeared in the May/June issue of The Rambler. I am currently writing a book about the feminist sculptor and performance artist, Hannah Wilke.
I fell in love with art history when I was a senior in high school. I was taking a class on “Western Civiliaztion” and was seduced by the lush landscapes and nudes of Renoir. In college I sat in dark lecture halls watching the monuments of Europe flicker on the screen. The stained glass windows of Chartre and Notre Dame made my eyes dance. When I emerged from my classrooms, everything seemed brighter and more colorful.
I have been writing about art professionally since 1985. My essays and reviews have been published in museum catalogues, newsletters, anthologies, textbooks, and professional journals. In addition to writing for numerous art magazines, including Art News, Art Papers, New Art Examiner, and Theater and Drama Review, I have reviewed art for the Texas Observer and the Austin Chronicle, and served as the art critic at the Austin American-Statesman. Recently I’ve begun publishing in other genres. In the spring of 2008, Amoskeag: The Journal of the Southern University of New Hampshire published my short story, “Right on My Chest.” And my first essay on parenting, “Little Electra,” appeared in the May/June issue of The Rambler. I am currently writing a book about the feminist sculptor and performance artist, Hannah Wilke.