“If I’ve learned anything over the past several decades, it’s that everyone has a voice. Everyone has something to say, whether it be an observation about day-to-day minutia, or a grand statement about the universe, we all live in a world where articulating these feelings is a daily struggle.”

Through painting I have found my voice.

For decades I was devoted to our family and supporting my husband in all his endeavors. I became absorbed in my family’s active world and lost touch with my “self”. My creative spirit was tossed by the wayside and although at times I yearned to paint, I would allow any seemingly important priority to occupy my time.

So at age 56 I decided to explore new possibilities and started painting in earnest.

Then in 2011 my husband suffered from an undiagnosed illness and almost died. During this same time my only living sibling died of cancer. It shook me to my core and I began to re-examine my place in the world. I did not want to reach the end of my life with things left undone. I knew I still had gifts to develop and share in this world.

Painting was one of those gifts and created an avenue of self-discovery.

My artistic inspiration comes mostly from people. Painting is a way for me to express what I or others may be experiencing. My paintings can reveal hidden messages, emotions, apparent dilemmas or just be filled with an inspiring energy array of colors.

I work with mixed media using layer after layer of color & texture. Everything is made up of layers….the layers other people may see and the layers that are deeply and intimately who we are.

My art process gives me a connection with the world that I do not experience in any other way. I find inspiration with the energy in random places, such as a flower that has managed to survive in a desolate dark alley littered with trash. I often take photos of gorgeous colors in nature and then use those colors as emotional representations in my paintings.

My mixed media includes acrylic paint, oils, oil pastels, ink, torn paper, sand, dirt and other substances that create texture.

“I’m a free spirit and my art reflects that.”