I come to abstract painting from a background of careful looking and listening. A master’s degree in art history trained me in the close and meticulous study of surfaces. As a pianist, I have to find the spirit of music at some level of my art as I study and evaluate it. This partnership of art and music, expressed in abstract painting, comes after a solid foundation in drawing and design. In abstract art, line, edges, and value - all valuable lessons from drawing -- contribute in their way to a process and way of working grounded in the inner self, rather than the outer object.