Two years ago we lost our home and all of our belongings in Hurricane Ian. I lost 15 of my sketch books that I had been drawing in for decades. I lost all of my early work that I had painted on watercolor paper. I am telling you this because I want to talk about my early work but I have nothing left to show. So, I will use words to best describe some of my early discoveries in art, along with a few images of artists I learned from.

Patterns have influenced my work significantly over the years. Awe inspiring patterns in nature have always captured my attention. In the leaves and blossoms from the apple tree next door, the sand and the waves in the Great Lakes, and the birch trees in the woods by my Grandfather’s house, with their bark of white and black spots.

Creativity is about striving to CAPTURE a bit of the indescribable essence of life. That essence is everywhere and nowhere all at once. This essence makes life worth living. I want to capture it and hold on to it like a puppy or kitten. But, like a puppy or kitten, it can be elusive and squirmy, and I can not own it or domesticate it. It lives in the realm of creativity, and there, I can experience it and share this experience with others. 

I am primarily a self-taught artist and teacher. I have gone to college and have a master’s in education. I have a two-year art degree and have studied with established artists. I have a great foundation and the help of other teachers who have inspired me. However, most of my creative and successful teaching methods have come from my teaching and painting experience over 48 years.