I believe my earliest art was made by crawling up my mother's stairs, holding on to my big sister's lipstick, and creating a giant abstract on ivory wallpaper. It was very large. It was very red. I didn't care for abstracts after that, and thought maybe the red needed toning down a bit.

I was blessed with incredible Art teachers in Virginia, where I grew up, then again in Ohio and upstate New York, where I studied privately. I fell in love with oils, and was lucky to be taught palette knife painting, which I still employ. Watercolors have presented the greatest challenge, and I never travel without them. Imagine seeing Tuscany or France without your paints!
 
I enjoy and NEED to paint landscapes and seascapes, so water, with all its magical moods and nuances, is usually incorporated into my paintings.  I want to catch one moment in time, at a special place, and invite my viewers to share it with me. My greatest reward is their response with an, "Oh yes!  I have seen that, too!"
 
Painting the splendid Pacific North West has been the joy of my life as an artist. The ever changing panorama of the Puget Sound, as viewed from our home in Washington, makes my heart sing as I get out my paints. Whatever the mood... from snow-capped peaks and brilliant blue skies, to damp,  gray fog rising in a cloud of mist over the tree line...I need to share these dramatic changes! From my 180 degree view of the Sound, only the eagles are a constant. Four hundred feet below, the tiny Mukilteo Ferry rushes by, or a fleet of white sails spike up from the water, or maybe a storm is building up over the Rain Forest.
 
All those views are replaced in Aiken by sun-dappled palm trees, Spanish moss dripping from ancient oaks and trips to the beach to remind you just how good sand feels in your shoes, again! Friendly people, plus  a thriving art community have made the transition work for me. Teachers abound, workshops beckon, and being married to my high school sweetheart after a 45 year "break-up" is pretty nice, too!
 
One moment in time, in one place, is first captured in our imagination, then on paper or canvas, so let the paint flow! Work quickly, the light is changing.