For those of you who have read Alpha Girls, you know my story as one of the first women to succeed in venture capital. It’s an industry that I love and remain a part of. But heading into what I call my third trimester of life, it’s exciting to try new things that open my world. With the words of Eleanor Roosevelt there to inspire me, “Do one thing every day that scares you,” I recently held my first art exhibition. It’s my lesson in “be everyday brave.”
I became interested in oil painting during a sabbatical year as a fellow in Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute. The program encouraged an exploration of interesting career pivots and new directions. I took the opportunity to explore the liberal arts which I had not done as a Purdue math major undergraduate and Stanford MBA. An oil painting class sparked a renewed interest in art that I had as a child but never found time to fit into my adult life. I have been taking oil painting classes and painting ever since.
I paint abstract landscapes and architecture. Oil painting allows me to observe light, colors and shapes in the world around me more carefully as I think about how I would represent a scene that catches my attention in everyday life and my travels. I love to take photographs of these scenes and then later convert them to sketches where I reduce the details in the scene down to the most essential elements to tell the story of what I saw. I look for shapes and planes that tell the story in a simplified manner, allowing the values of lights and darks to lead the way. Some of my favorite artists are Richard Diebenkorn, Mark Rothko, Gerhard Richter and David Hockney.
I am sharing this now because I want people to know that risk taking takes many forms. I had no idea what I was getting into when I arrived in Silicon Valley. I took calculated risks on companies I invested in. Being a parent involves risk: Are you doing it right? Now I’m trying something entirely new. Isn’t that what life is supposed to be about?
