I was born with a mild form of Cerebral Palsy in Southern California to very creative parents. Although I could not participate in athletics like other kids my age, I embraced that creative spirit my parents instilled. My mother had been a home economics major in college and always had a craft project ready. From her I learned to needle point, embroider, and crochet. I also learned ceramics, how to make porcelain dolls and even made a doll house with my mother. My father was an accomplished photographer and implanted that passion in me as well.
Photography became an even larger part of my life in high school. I became photography editor of the yearbook my senior year and I was never without my camera. After graduation, the head of the art department informed me our yearbook received an honorable mention in photography from the Columbia University yearbook competition.
In college I satisfied my interest in photography by taking a few courses. The instructor of one of those classes was Andrew Shoemaker, a former student of Ansel Adams, and it was there I honed my skills in taking black and white pictures.
I settled in Dubuque Ia. with my husband and three small children and photography was moving into the digital age. With all these changes, it became more difficult to continue pursuing this passion. Photography became less of an art for me and more of a means to preserve our family memories. I began to search for a different way to artistically express myself. When my youngest was about a year old I decided to take an art class with a local artist, Stephan Jensen. She helped me explore other forms of art and I discovered a new passion for colored pencil, oil pastel and paint.
Today I am living the artistic passion instilled in me as a child. My physical limitations helped teach me that dreams can be achieved through tenacity and self-belief. My artwork is much like my photography as I tend to portray my subject up in a close and personal manner. My hope is, that when one looks upon my pictures, they may discover details that, otherwise might have been missed. Whether it is a flower, wild animal or beloved pet, it is those details that create a sense of intimacy.