I grew up in Florida, then moved to Ohio for high school and my first years of college. I came to New Mexico in 1976, grew to love the desert, finding it to be my true home.

At the University of New Mexico, I earned a BFA in Studio Arts and an MA in Art Education. I taught for many years in New Mexico schools. My teaching career was a gift which allowed me to practice my skills, keep current with trends and ideas, research artists and art history and best of all, to share art with the students. After retiring, I worked in the fitness industry, good for one who has always loved being active. Now I am a full time artist. I paint, draw, work in ceramics and mixed media, and just as I loved doing as a child, I spend hours making things.

"I am drawn to the beauty of images from nature and objects from everyday life. As a child growing up in southern Florida, I was immersed in a tropical world, a fertile environment providing an endless array of life bursting forth from every niche – a joy for a nerdy kid fascinated with all manner of insects, animals and plants. The way light strikes a form, the color it reveals, and the shadow it creates is a delightful surprise, endlessly fascinating.

Life forms from nature and everyday objects stand in for states of mind, for points along life’s journey. A shell once home to a living creature, now tossed and worn by the sea, is evidence of a life begun, lived, ended. Objects used by people, clothing, furniture, tools, toys are transformed over time through use and wear, imbued with history and energy, taking on characteristics of their owners. Perhaps passed on or found by another, they continue their travel through time, becoming metaphors for people. The vignette I create in my work has a significance beyond its arrangement for interest and beauty.

I find deep meaning in the artifacts left on this earth. I find a spirituality in nature, in the awareness of the natural order and power of the universe: birth / death, the life cycle, transformation over time, renewal and impermanence. From the planets in space to the individual life. From the translucent casing of the dragonfly nymph to grandmother’s rosary. My art reflects the way I view the world, with a sense of wonder, bemusement and humor".