Since I was a child...

Ever since I was a child my life has been entwined with anything involving creativity.  Not originally an art major in college I took advantage of my elective courses by enrolling in art classes.  This is when I realized that art needed to be a part of my life, and fell in love with oils after taking my first painting class.  That was several years ago and I have been painting ever since. 

My desire to be a painter...

After acknowledging my desire to be a painter I have been practicing, and honing my skills.  Also a big part of my journey as a painter was discovering my own style, and subject matter.  I originally painted figures in a surrealistic style experimenting in non-traditional use of color.  When asked to do a commission of a pet I realized that this would be a perfect way to blend painting, and my love of animals.  Unlike most pet portraits I ventured into different ways of capturing a pet’s spirit by adding a background that places them in their ideal setting transcending ideas of the norm.

My roots...

I am from Des Moines, Iowa receiving my BA at the University of Iowa.  From Iowa I traveled west to Denver and studied at the University of Colorado at Denver.  I have since moved to Los Angeles, California where I have furthered my art training at Mission Renaissance art school, where I teach drawing and oil painting.  I live with my husband and recently doubled our family with the birth of our twins.  Along with my husband and sons our other roomies include our dog Helmut and two cats, all adopted from animal shelters. 

Classicly trained...

Classically trained by duplicating the masters, my paintings are inspired by the soft romantic works of Bouguereau, and inventive and other worldly mind of Dali. Studying others has enriched my paintings by allowing me to paint dreamy sunlit skies, and breaking the boundaries of what our minds naturally think.