About the Artist

Vanderbilt University BA Art History 1983

1999-2002 studied with Andy Braitman
Also studied with noted plein air artists:
Jill Carver, Roger Dale Brown, Camille Przewodek, Peggy Kroll Roberts, Gay Faulkenberry,  and Ian Roberts.

I lay awake at 5 am this morning, marveling at the crazy dream I had about being in a research facility at the Rhododendron Gardens in Roan Mountain in Tennessee. (ha!) Then I thought about my biography statement on this website and decided to change it. What makes an artist? Or a Painter? A degree in Art History at Vanderbilt University? Nope, 60 years of living produced this artist. I didn't start painting until I was in my 30's. I studied with the fabulous Andrew Braitman for two years in Charlotte, NC.  I also began taking plein air workshops with some great artists, starting with Ian Roberts in Italy for several weeks. (Despite a fierce heat wave, this was quite a game changer and tons of fun)  My artist friends and I went on many plein air painting trips in Europe and various areas in the U.S.  I found great material in the Iredell County area (farmlands) and went there outside of Charlotte with friends to paint frequently. My focus eventually turned to the mountains of North Carolina. I was not surprised when I recently discovered my birth mother and generations of her family are from Asheville, NC! 

Life is a journey. I am lucky to be an artist and to do what I love.