In December of 2007, I was offered a solo exhibition at F.A.N. Gallery for the fall of 2008. I had been trying to break into the Philadelphia commercial gallery scene for years and here was my chance. I was also 6 months pregnant at the time. I thought, “No problem, I will just pack the kid up with me and go out landscape painting.”

Painting and parenting has turned out to be a more difficult pairing than I thought. Having limited and often interrupted painting time has changed the way I work, but I am enjoying how it is forcing me to explore the subject matter. I used to only paint en plein air. Now, my practice is a mix of painting and sketching on site, then using photographs for reference, and a little more imagination and invention in the studio. This new way of working started with this painting.

I did not have my oils when I was in Paris in February 2008 (then 8 months pregnant), so I did numerous pen and ink sketches, gouache paintings, and took photos. I knew I wanted to do something with this material but did not know what. I started Parisian Nocturne No. 3 a week after Declan was born and struggled with it for weeks until I got a painting I was happy with. I really feel that this painting is the beginning of a new direction in my work.