I am a self-taught artist living in North Carolina.  I work primarily in acrylics on canvas and wood.  When I am not able to be in the studio, I also work with graphite and colored pencil.

I have been drawn to nature for as long as I can remember. Physically being in nature can make us feel better and can have positive health benefits. But in our busy, technological lives, it can be very difficult  to actually spend as much time in nature as we’d like.  In lieu of that, viewing an image of nature can make us feel better both physically and mentally.  It triggers memories of past experiences, allowing us some of the positive effects without actually being there.

Background

For most of my adult life I lived on a small mountain in Pennsylvania with my husband, who is also an artist, and our adult special needs son who loves to draw and color. Several years ago we were able to fulfill our dream of moving to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The three of us love living on our little piece of sand with our German shepherd/husky mix and orange tabby cat.  We also have a daughter who is a graphic designer.

As a child, I was always drawing or creating something.  In high school, I doubled up on art classes.  I owe quite a lot to my high school art teacher who emphasized painting.  But when it came time for college, I chose a path which I felt would more reliably pay the bills.  So I spent thirty-four years teaching special education.  It's a choice I don't regret for a moment.  I touched a lot of lives and did a lot of good.  But I never let go of the dream of an artist life.  Now I am walking that path.