My bio provides a high-level view of my background, yet there is much more.  I thought I would share with you, my journey.  My mom would tell me she could sit me down with crayons and a coloring book and I would be entertained for hours.  I remember going through so much tape, glue and paper making 3D farms and homes for my play animals.  I also remember cutting the outfits of her cherished stuffed animals because I needed felt.

During one of my visits with my grandmother, I noticed she was always doodling. I asked her to make a drawing for me (I still have it). I would create copies of that drawing over and over, each time getting a little better.

Through Jr. High and High School, I continued expanding my knowledge of mediums, ink, printmaking, sculpture, and more. However, my favorite thing to do was draw horses.

One day a friend of my mother’s was over, and I was showing her my art. She suggested that I look into Studio in The Woods in Wauconda, IL. Just so happens that school was 10 minutes from my home. At the age of sixteen, I signed up for classes and continued my studies there for eight years. All while going to college at night for my associate degree in Fine Art from the College of Lake County, working full time, and being newly married. I can’t say enough good things about my instructor/mentor at Studio in The Woods, Bonnie Anderson, and the influence she has had on my approach to this day.

After a 20-year break to raise my family, I returned to study art at Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich, IL. To my surprise, Frankie Johnson, former instructor at The Studio in the Woods owned the Center. I was flooded with memories and just stepped right back into my rhythm. Thank you to Jan Bergland, my instructor, during my four years at the studio.

A little over two years ago, we moved to Arkansas, and I built a studio where I now have a dedicated space to spread out and create.

There is still the question, where did the talent come from before me? Where in my blood line? Bless my grandmother who inspired me, however, she is my step grandmother. My father would doodle once and a while. In the last 10 years or so I learned that my grandfather (father’s father) was a painter, as well as many extended family members on my father’s side were artists and art teachers! I’m thankful that my daughter has also inherited this talent and all the opportunities we get to collaborate.

So that is my journey, and it is not over yet. Let me know if you have questions and thank you for coming along with me.