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Bio: Past 12 Years (or Barely the Tip of the Iceberg) (or Willpower, Determination and Dynamics)

In 1992, my life as a fifth generation farmer began to unravel; at that time we were farming approximately 250 acres of citrus. Winter of 1992, with months of the passing of U.S./Mexico pre-NAFTA trade agreements, the Florida citrus market collapsed. This resulted in an 87% loss of income for us. Our family farm debt totaled approximately $987,000 (yes, that’s true). Suddenly, we had virtually no income. But wait, there’s more; my husband asked for a divorce.

I discussed with my children (then 7 & 18) the serious implications of our situation, but most importantly, the profound opportunity providence had placed before us to stand for what we believe in; to call to task our morals, values and principles; and to be worthy stewards of our land; 80 acres which included 200-year old oak trees, our beautiful home and citrus groves.

I developed a plan of action & made a deal with my husband; we would separate, holding off the nightmare legality of divorce for awhile and I would take all of the debt and a portion of the property and embark on a vision quest to turn these circumstances around. I kept telling myself that “it was only the zeros,” and that I would work just as hard to solve a $10,000 problem.

The Vision Quest (or Into the Belly of the Beast) (or Can I Save My Soul?)

A very wise and experienced friend gave my four pieces of advice before I committed to my plan: (1) Fasten your seatbelt; this will take at least six years; (2) Don’t start drinking; (3) Steel yourself and prepare to experience terror, self-doubt, loss of faith, etc.; (4) But, if you have clear vision and if you focus everything you do on that vision, then all that you need to accomplish your goal, including economics, will be a natural occurrence.

From my files, I resurrected a concept I had been developing on and off for about 15 years. In the light of my circumstances, it was a possibility, albeit remote, that this vision might save us. The concept is a prototypical community; a model for urban development, renewal and conservation with master-planned overlays of arts, culture and academics. Within a short time, “Orangewood” was born.

The Buried Treasures (or Answer the Call of a Higher Destiny) (or The Total Surprise)

As a child, I felt that I would be a painter when I grew up. Over the years, I put aside my paintbrushes and developed a career in architectural design. During this time of no income and enormous debt, Fate literally leaned a canvas against a tree in front of me. I took it home, and picked up a paintbrush for the first time in 28 years. Since that day, I have painted 84 paintings. I painted for my life, because of my life, and in spite of my life. And the paintings are powerful.

During this same period, I had the opportunity to co-write a screenplay with Greg Nye. The screenplay, “Up From the Sky,” was one of ten finalists in the 1994 Sundance Writers Competition and a finalist in the Writers Guild of America Members Competition in 1997.

On March 2, 2002, “She” was performed at Sainer Pavilion, New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida. “She” is a musical and dramatic performance inspired by my paintings and featuring the original music of singer/songwriter Kat White Star. “She” was born of the idea of showing my art in the venue of a traveling performance. The vision is based on the premise of visual art as inspiration for and onstage with performing artists. Jesse Deerwomon is the producer and director of the collaborative and improvisational score. Together, we have created a program named “Sideshow Sarasota” as a vehicle for the concept.

The Horrible Privilege of Orangewood

In October of 2000, I was able to pay the million-dollar family farm debt. Over the next four years, using my remaining citrus grove, I continued to work toward the vision of Orangewood as a means to a new future and payment of debt balance.

Unfortunately, as a result of a ‘hostile takeover’ and insuing “partition suit,” on March 2, 2004, my remaining land and my future were auctioned on the Manatee County Courthouse Steps. The successful bidder was a trusted business associate and licensee for Orangewood who had, anonymously, with privileged information, initiated the “hostile takeover.” After he was disclosed, this well-known businessman said to me that this had been his scheme all along.

The privilege of Orangewood is the idea. What happened to me shows just how powerful an idea can be. These land developers were fighting to lay claim to that idea as strongly as they were fighting to take my land. In the end, they spent millions, in soft money, for the pleasure of cheating me out of a million, not just once, but several times. It was pure hell for me; their willful and deliberate acts against me destroyed my life and my future. Plain and simple, they got away with it because no one stopped them.

During this 12 years, my family has personally been torn apart by this tragedy. I have lived, existing well below the national poverty level, pouring everything into “doing the right thing.” Because of that commitment, I, my family, and the extraordinary people who stuck with me have been affected in many ways, sacred and terrible. I am no longer a bankrupt farmer; instead, I am a starving artist. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”-
A Tale of Two Cities

Full Circle (or Endings and Beginnings) (or A Sea Change)

From my studio near Portland, Oregon, I recently took some of what little money I have and created a political ad campaign and published a web site on behalf of Election 2004, Kerry/Edwards. I did this from my belief and conviction that: “It is the 21st century, and we humans can do better.”

Through my paintings, I seek interpretation of my experiences. My intent is to bring a deeper understanding, a transcendent balance of line and color and image to bear on the canvas, a place of witness. A writer and filmmaker friend says that the easel is my alter and the canvas my confessional.