Biography

I live with my husband in northeastern Washington State on five beautiful acres. Surrounded by pine trees, mountains and several lakes, our home (my studio) is a perfect place to create.

I have a great fondness for animals (both domestic and wild) and enjoy being able to view the deer, moose, bear and other wildlife that visit regularly. They, along with the many domestic animals that share their lives with us often find themselves appearing in my paintings, as do other members of our family.

In addition to animal related themes I have always been extremely interested in western art and that is a predominate focus of much of my art. I use our experiences here at home, as well as those relayed to me by family, friends, and working cowboys for the ideas for my western and rural themes.

Occasionally my work is historical in nature and, in that case I will use the collection of American Indian and cowboy memorabilia that my husband and I have collected through the years as a source of inspiration.

I work predominately in acrylics, pastel and pencils,
but am always anxious to try new mediums and combinations of familiar ones. My art techniques include working with a rather limited palette and mixing the paint (or layering the pastels) to achieve the desired color and results.

I paint on canvas, masonite or gessoed panels/hardboard, and in the case of pastel work I prefer a surface with a lot of "tooth". When choosing what medium to use it is most often governed by the subject matter of the work. I believe that quality framing is extremely important, so all pieces except commissions and gallery ready surfaces/canvas, come to the purchaser framed and ready to hang.