I have always been “drawn” to the question of how does a 3 dimensional object become 2 dimensional? When I was a little girl, I used to drive my mother crazy asking lots of questions. My mother did in fact show me the difference, but the burning question was something that I had to find out on my own.  So at the age of 6 or 7,  I took a piece of paper and a pencil and ventured out to find the answer. 

After looking intensely at an object; studying it, I would sometimes close one eye and take my finger and trace the object in the air. Also, I would study how the light would make shadows on the surface of the object as well. I actually would talk in my head, giving myself direction…”go up and around the ear..over and up to the eye…” I did this all without looking at the paper AND without taking my pencil OFF THE PAPER.

Unbeknownst to me, I was teaching myself how to draw!  Now, I can create an abstract of a portrait in this manner. I give just enough visual information to the viewer for it to be recognizable. This is obtained by allowing the left mode of my brain to reject the meticulousness and complexity of what I am seeing. The left side of my brain gives into and lets the right side of my brain take over.