Continued from here

We relocated to Pike County, PA. about 5 years ago. Prior to that I was living in Westchester County, NY. I don't think relocating has changed my approach to art, but rather a series of events that occurred after I relocated. That kind of set me off to another place.
    Shortly after we moved, I became pregnant with our third child and at the same time my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She died when my son was just four months old. It was a devastating loss to me. I found myself bleeding art.
    I had read about artists keeping visual journals. So I got myself a journal and let my grief out, night after night. It was very therapeutic, though most of the images reveal absolutely nothing about death or dying. Instead, the pages seemed to hold different "character" so to speak, each with their own stories to tell .. of which I would jot notes on the adjoining page. And so the journal became titled Who Are You, Really? A couple of friends saw some of the images and gave me some positive and encouraging feedback. Shortly thereafter, twelve of the pieces became a solo show at a local cafe, where I sold prints of the originals.
    That journal changed everything for me. It gave me permission to "play" with my art and not worry about the finished product. It helped me to let go of the inner critics ... and not to worry about my art being compartmentalized to suit a particular style or category.

P

 Has it led to new discoveries about yourself?

DA

 Aren't we always discovering new things about ourselves?

P

 There is an "organic" feeling to your compositions ... a wholeness. They do make poetic sense. Are you concerned with telling a story -- with being understood in your work?

DA

 Am I concerned with telling a story? Hmmm ... I don't think so. Not on a condcious level anyway. Not when I'm doing the art. Though as I mentioned, in the journal, the characters seemed to speak to me with snippets of their own stories. I think that, if published as is my intent, people would find their own stories within those of my characters.
As far as being understood in my work, I think most artists want to be understood ... to some degree. Maybe that's why they do art? Who knows. I think it's more important to me that the viewer connects with my art. I think their personal interpretation and the meaning it holds for them is much more important than me being "understood."

P

 (Some of the works on paper include imagery centered around pictures of Victorian or Depression-era infants and toddlers.) Why babies?

DA

 I have to smile at that because you're not the first one to ask. I'm not sure I have a great definitive answer for that one. I've been working with images of vintage babies only for about the past two years, on and off. They just seem so mysterious and intriguing to me. I wonder who they were and what their families were like and what life held for them. There's one little girl who I dubbed "Lucky" who I have a great affection for. (She's in a piece I did called "Lucky Numbers".) I decided that she was either a carney kid or lost her mother when she was an infant. Her father was a gambler who was always short of money and he nicknamed her Lucky, because she was his lucky charm. There is such an endearing, yet forlorn look about this child that you almost want to adopt her. So I guess some of my pieces do have a story though it may not be my initial intent when starting a piece, and may not be apparent when the piece is finished.
    On a more surface level, babies and children are innocent and animated, and at the same time they can be very deep and wise. So they lend themselves to a variety of expressive forms.

P

 There is -- in combination of human and machines, human and animal, an "alternative reality" suggested at in terms of layers of meaning to life ... can you talk about this in terms of your own self-discovery?

DA

 I could if I knew what you were talking about. (smiles) As far as the meaning of life and my own self-discoveries, I find it important to never be too judgmental, to be sincere, to be fair, to be honest about who you are, to always be thankful for what you have, and to love fiercely your family and friends. And to hold tight to a faith in a higher power. Hokey but true. At least for me. As far as an "alternative reality" I don't know. Perhaps that's my art.

P

 Your work, while it involves surprising combinations, seems reassuring somehow. Does this reflect your own experience?

DA

 My life's experiences have been far from reassuring. I think that "surprising combinations" would fit the bill a bit better. Though I have to say that my faith has been reassuring.

P

 You seem to have come up with a significant, fresh, consistent body of work. I wonder, though, how much you are interested in exploring new styles, new media, or different approaches.

DA