I have always enjoyed exploring the world of visual art and have painted for many years. My style has developed through study and experimentation. I feel the learning process never ends.
I paint subjects that are interesting to me, and I hope to the viewer. I have many interests and they often show up in my paintings. Often ideas come from nature, art books, photos, and garden catalogs and even my own backyard. Sometimes the resulting work is realistic and other times it becomes abstract. Even If it is realistic the subject is always changed to incorporate what I see in my imagination. I am always in charge of the colors and composition. Sometimes I will start by putting down a few shapes and colors and see where that leads me. My work is intuitive and very much influenced by the painting process. Perhaps I turn the paper different ways and see images from a different perspective. Perhaps a shape, a color or a brush stroke develops as a subject.

I love bold color and playing with color is my favorite part of painting. Sometimes the experience of color itself becomes the subject. I am intrigued with patterns and designs, and they often show up in my works.

I work with various types of media, but my favorite is watercolor. Watercolor is exciting because of the way the paint moves with water – often in surprising ways. I love seeing what the paint wants to do and follow where it leads. Each painting is an adventure. When my work is going well, I feel energized and don’t want to stop.

I am a native of Indiana and have a B.S. and M.S. in elementary education. I enjoyed a K-6 teaching career in several states and Ontario, Canada.
My work has been exhibited in homes, offices and art shows in the US and Canada. I have taken classes and workshops from many artists whom I admire and who have influenced my work.
In addition to painting, I enjoy reading, cooking, gardening, travel, learning Spanish, and volunteering.