Q: I came across your work online and was impressed by the ’soul’ conveyed by in each of your dog portraits. How do you find and work with your subjects?
A: Each portrait is a combination of several different dogs. I work with a lot of different pictures and combine different elements from each to draw my idealized dog. I like to name each portrait as my way of christening each drawing. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to actually naming a real dog. I find my subjects by visiting dog parks in the South End or just strolling through the Arnold Arboretum.
Q: Do you pay them with dog-treats? 
A: No, but I try to leave my business card with the dog owner and invite them to email me if they’d like a photo or two of their dog. I’ve had a few takers.
Q: The technique looks comes out looking like dry-point etching. How do you achieve that effect?
A: I use a regular roller ball pen on toothy watercolor paper. The “trick” is in using a light touch and slowly building layers of tone.
Q: You also work with paper, yarn, and textiles. What kind of work do you do for your business on Etsy, and what kind of work do you do for yourself/family/friends?
A: I do very modest business on Etsy. Etsy is a place for me to try out fun, new ideas and see if there are any takers. I have a greeting card business that occasionally has overages in printing, so instead of consigning overprints to the recycling bin I try to find ways of re-purposing them.
The items I make for Etsy are small items. When I make things for my family and friends, these projects usually have an epic dimension. I crocheted a bed coverlet for my sister which took me 14 years. OK, I wasn’t working on it every day and would also take a year or two off from working on it, but still. I’ve worked on huge quilts that have taken a year or two to pull together. I can only make these things for myself or family. I could never put a price on these items because they take so long to make and besides, how do you put a price on love?
Q: What are your favorite parts of Jamaica Plain?
A: Beside the Arnold Arboretum which is such a treasure, I am particularly fond of two JP establishments: One is the Acapulco Restaurant on Centre Street. Besides having terrific, reasonably-priced food, they also have live music on Saturday evenings. Two or three musicians stroll each table and serenade the patrons with Spanish classics. My other favorite place is Rhythm and Muse which is right next door. It’s a great little bookshop which hosts Scrabble games as well as book club meetings. It’s everything a neighborhood bookstore should be.
Q: Are there any other artists who inspire you, or whose work plays an important part in your vision?
A: I am influenced by the work of David Lance Goines. I was first exposed to his poster work in the 80s — I loved his sense of form and color. I’m also a big fan of Albrecht Durer — whose keen and observant eye is a real inspiration.
Q: How did you become an artist? Where did you study art? Is there anything you’d like to see change/improve in JP/Boston?
A: Here’s a confession: I love Boston. When I first moved to Boston over twenty years ago there were a lot of ups and downs. In my lowest of lows I remember comforting myself by thinking no matter how terrible things are going for me, at least it’s not happening to me in New York. I know that’s a crazy way to think but it got me through some tough times, and remember New York in the 80s? I love the South End — it’s like living in a small village. I think most Boston neighborhoods are like that. In term of changes or improvements — I wish it was a little easier to get to JP from the South End.
I spoke briefly yesterday with Bradley Brown, pastry chef at the Blue Frog Bakery, about their upcoming move from 3 Green Street to 654 Centre St. He said they’re out of space at their current location. The new location will give them more room to bake and greater capacity. He hopes to start work on the new space at the end of this month and to complete the move by the end of August.
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