Being born and raised in Florida helped shape my artistic love of nature at a very young age. Florida skies and water seem to be vast and never ending. I eventually ended up in Georgia after remarrying and finished my BFA in Art with a concentration in painting and a minor in education. I owned an art gallery and custom framing business for several years. My painting was centered around murals and faux finishing. Watercolors were my medium of choice. After my youngest children entered high school and college, my husband embarked on an old house renovation project and I decided to renew my teaching certificate and return to teaching. That led to obtaining a graduate degree in technology and curriculum. Working with young students was very inspiring, but the demands of public education left little time for creating art for myself.

Recently I retired from teaching art in public school. Most of the art I had created during my teaching years was related to specific art lessons. Now it is time to enjoy painting for myself. I read about the alla prima method of painting and have re-visited oil painting. It is a challenge to switch from the lightness of watercolor to the physical solidity of oils and not make the oils look so solid! For me, it is liberating to try to finish a painting in one sitting, not several days of multiple glazes. I love continuing my art education.

Some of my other art forms include fused glass and alternative photography - especially pinhole and cyanotypes. My personal life includes my husband, four children, seven grandchildren, and very recently two great grand children. (and 4 cats!) I have been very blessed to have such a growing family. We all have a love of the visual arts.