I have been interested in art for as long as I can remember. At the age of 3, I remember how I loved to scribble in coloring books. At the age of 10, I got my first oil painting set. I took every art class that I could in high school.  I was a studio art major at Cal State Fullerton in the mid-70s. I soon changed my major to art history when I realized that teaching art fundamentals was not something that was highly regarded at that institution. 

 

After graduating from college I worked at different jobs, some related to art, but some not. I decided to get a multiple subject teaching credential a few years later. After student teaching in the 5th grade, I was hooked on that age level. I went on to teach that grade level in public schools for 30 years. I feel so fortunate that I was always able to share my talents, expertise, and love of art with students, teachers, and the community. I was also fortunate to have enough free time to continue to pursue my own art, while at the same time not concerning myself with making money off it.

 

Over the years I’ve been able to study under many accomplished artists such as Frank Tauriello, Daniel Greene, Rex Brandt, Tim Clark, Tom Fong, and Fealing Lin to name just a few. Much of what I learned has been through reading books, copying other paintings, and through trial and error. Although the subjects of my artwork have varied over the years, I always come back to the figure.

 

I began painting in oils, but after my first attempt at soft pastels garnered me the top honor in a show, I became hooked. I love the immediacy and versatility of that medium. Next, I decided to try out the unforgiving medium of watercolor. I wanted to work with something more portable for plein air painting. I also wanted something that was easy to store. I enjoy using gouache for its opacity and the ability to build up the surface. My watercolor artwork has been accepted in both Watercolor West and Western Federation of Watercolor Societies’ International Shows. I was a Board Member of Watercolor West from 2020-2022.

 

For the last ten years I have developed the love for mixed media, which enables me to incorporate many of the techniques I learned in various media and combine them. What I love most about mixed media is its flexibility which allows me to work intuitively with minimal preplanning It has freed up the feeling of dread I would get thinking about making the wrong decisions and ruining a piece of artwork that I’d spent a lot of time on. While not every painting is a success, the process itself is fun. I have been able to work with subject matter and images that have special meaning to me and to try to only please myself without thinking of the viewer. My mixed media paintings have won several top awards in local art competitions and I had a piece published in the North Light Art book titled: Incite 3, The Art of Storytelling--The Best of Mixed Media 2015 and three pieces in the 2016 book titled: Incite 4  Relax, Restore, and Renew. In the spring of 2016, I was voted "Artist of the Year" by members of the Huntington Beach Art League.

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In 2020 I had my acrylic painting, "Chosen Path" published in the Acrylic 7 magazine and in 2021 my acrylic painting "Then to Now" was published in the Acrylic Works 8 magazine. The latter was also awarded "Best of Show" in the Anaheim Art Association's 58th annual juried competition in 2022. I received another "Best of Show" at the Annual Sunset Beach Art Festival in 2024 for my watercolor painting, "Sunset Beach Home."

 

I have given art demos to most of the art societies in Orange County and have been a juror for several art exhibitions. I also did a slide presentation on my artistic journey for the Orange County Museum of Art's Docent Meeting a few years back. In 2023 I started the Orange County Mixed Media Artist group that meets monthly. Currently I have a full-time art practice and teach monthly workshops with The Artist Loft Studio (TALS) at the OCFA Showcase Gallery Studio in Santa Ana. I belong to the Huntington Beach Art League, the Tustin Art League, the OCFA Showcase Gallery and I am on the Art Council of the Huntington Beach Art Center. All this keeps me very busy!

 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.