Born 1952, rural WI, I have loved to draw since early childhood. My dad worked at a paper mill and had reams of paper for me to draw along with him. Like magic, trees, birds, and animals came alive as color was added! Those early memories kept me drawing though nursing school, marriage, and raising a family. Once introduced to oil painting in 1991 my passion for painting accelerated! 

I enrolled in courses in Milwaukee and at the West Bend Art Gallery. I was fortunate to have had great mentors who encouraged me to continue advancing my skills. In 1998 I left my nursing career and sought workshops throughout the US with an emphasis on plein air. I found capturing the landscape in all of its moods first hand was a great learning tool. Each outdoor experience was different from the last as light and shadows chased each other through the scene I wanted to capture. Editing became an ongoing process and became a contest between the technical aspects and what essential message I wanted to convey.

Atmospheric conditions can be challenging outdoors, but that too determines the uniqueness of each painting. In this work/play mode I find it is different not only day to day, or indoors or out, but also with my own moods. Standing in the presence of a sunset overwhelms me with emotion and becomes an exciting sensory experience. I hope this can be conveyed to my viewers.

My painting “Evening Bales” painted in Door County, and “Weekend Line up” painted in OR, can immediately take me back to the warmth, the sounds, and the smell of fresh cut hay. My painting “Mt Howard View”, which was initiated in the Wallowa Mt Range of NE Oregon, recalls for me the tram ride to the summit as well as the wind tipping over my tripod, and pocket gophers who got away with my picnic lunch! “Settling In” was the first winter sunset I was able to view from my new studio window after we moved to our present home in Sturgeon Bay. “Orange Reflections” and “Highlight of My Day” are a couple of the results of my recent focus on still life objects in my studio.