I was born and educated in Western Washington and received a BA with a focus in Social Science and Visual Art from the Evergreen State College. After graduating I spent a year teaching preschool Portland, OR and Sunnyvale, California. Now I work as a Program Supervisor and Site Director for a Seattle Based Non-Profit.

Because I work with children throughout my work day, I find that I spend more time with children than adults. When I focus on my own art those connections combine with my own memories and feelings and manifest as a very child-like feel which permeates even the most mature aspects of my artwork.

 My artwork often comes forth from a series of free association sketches. One drawing takes shape into another until some appealing imagery begins to emerge which can be developed. In this way, doing art can be like writing in a diary; it is a safe place to sort through emotions and feelings on paper. I then choose from that free association imagery, clarifying and developing the ideas that demand for further attention.

The time for a piece of art to be developed from a sketch to a finished piece can stretch into weeks or months. Typically I finish each piece with chalk pastels starting by creating a final drawing from a promising sketch. That final drawing is transferred onto a piece of vellum coated Bristol using wax-free fabric transfer paper.  I use black Copic marker to outline the lines of the sketch then add thin layers of chalk pastel which is fixed with workable fixative. The rich color and painterly quality is achieved though many such thin layers.

If you have any more questions about my life or my artwork feel free to contact me.