I was born in a small town just north of Cincinnati, Ohio. As a youngster, I often met with a friend on Saturday afternoons to draw animals, flowers, and trees with pencil and chalk . I continued to draw during high school but once in college I focused on a career in science and put my drawing aside. The “on hold” status continued when I moved to Richmond, Virginia after graduation in 1973 to pursue a career as a health professional. After practicing there for eight years, I moved to Blacksburg, Virginia to work toward an advanced science degree.

After completing my master’s degree at Virginia Tech, I began taking art classes at the university on a part-time basis and 7 years later received my BA degree in drawing and painting. For the next few years (1991-1994), I was able to paint regularly. I also took classes with Vera Dickerson and Mary Jane Burch of The Studio School in Roanoke, Virginia and workshops with nationally known artists Daniel Greene and Louise Cadillac.

In 1994 I again put my painting "on hold" to pursue post-graduate studies in education. I subsequently accepted a position as an instructional designer for a consortium of science departments at Virginia Tech. My work in this position gave me the opportunity to bring together my knowledge of science, art, and education as I worked with faculty to design and develop web-based instruction.

In 2003, I left my position at Virginia Tech to focus on my painting. I now work every day in a spacious studio in my home. When weather permits, I head outdoors to sketch and paint several times per week.

Since I began painting I have worked in many mediums but soft pastel is my favorite. I like its range of qualities - from the graphic feel of hard pastel sticks to the buttery sensation of the softest pastel brands. I also like the immediacy of its vibrant colors, which can be used "alla prima" or built up in almost endless layers to produce subtle hues and values that seem to vibrate with energy.