I'm primarily a self-taught artist, learning through books and videos, with a few workshops taken along the way.

I've taken classes from wonderfully talented artists such as Cathy Johnson and Joe Fettingis, but there are also so many other artists who have unknowingly been mentors to me.  I'm influenced by the works of Carl Purcell,  David Becker, as well as Jan Hart, Brenda Swenson, Anne Abgott.... the list goes endlessly on.

My childhood was filled with drawings and creativity, which came to a halt in adulthood.  After many years, the creative urge struck again and after trying unsuccessfully to satisfy that craving with rubber stamping and scrapbooking, I re-discovered drawing which led to a love of watercolor painting.

Watercolor is a difficult, hard-to-control medium, but it is like no other in achieving a glowing transparency.  I plan to also experiment in acrylics and water-soluble oils in the future.  Starting with the hardest medium, watercolor, seemed only natural and a delightful challenge.  Unlike acrylics or oil, with watercolor you get "one chance" to get it right before your painting turns into a muddy mess - no limitless scraping or paint removal.

What entices me is the play of sunlight and shadows on a wide variety of subjects, the older the better, especially historic houses and buildings, rusty pick-up trucks, windows and doorways, and candid moments of people in natural settings.  While I favor urban settings over landscapes and wildflower gardens over formal floral portraits, there is no subject that is artistically uninteresting.

page last updated: November, 2011