People say that I think and act “out of the box.” I reply, “What box?”
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University, with a major in Psychology and Fine Art History; I received .a Masters in Foundations of Education from the University of Virginia. While teaching “at risk” teenagers, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and, as my symptoms exacerbated, I retired from teaching,
I knew that I needed to fill my life with healing activities, and I have always been a shadow artist, choosing to observe others create. I decided that, rather than just looking and studying about art, I would get together some art supplies, find a welcoming art group, get some instruction, and start to make art.
I found that healing for me takes place when I let go of predetermined outcomes, creating and experimenting with a no-anxiety, fail-proof attitude. My only goal is understanding my authentic self.
Reflecting my own eclectic tastes in art, I have been privileged to study with many of the best watermedia artists and teachers in the country, including Mary Todd Beam, John Salminen and others. I have taken seminars and workshops in places ranging from Greece (with Katherine Liu) to Hawaii and a lot of places in between.
People who know me know my obvious attraction to the world of theater; I love the music, the costumes, the masks, and especially surprises of fantasy and improvisation. The content of much of my work reflects this tropism.
My husband and I moved to North Carolina from Northern Virginia, and have found that we love the mountains. We do manage to visit our children (and grandchildren) in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Louisiana, of course, so there is much inspiration for my work. All of our children (and their spouses) have been involved in theater, music and art in one form or another.
I fell in love with New Orleans long before Katrina hit, and have an even greater affinity for the city now that my daughter and her husband (he is a “restoration” genius) are expecting their first “Nawlins” native son.