About the Artist
As a 4-year-old my favorite activities were "baking" mud pies iced with brightly colored soap suds and smearing colorful tempura paint and crayon colors onto paper in the shapes of my favorite flowers and animals. My life has taken many turns but I am still happiest when I am in my kitchen cooking or somewhere inside or out with my paper and brushes painting!
Although I didn't follow a path of formal art education, art has always been an integral part of my life. I've always had a deep love of nature, spending most of my childhood exploring the Virginia woods and fields or the rivers, creeks and streams flowing through the New River Valley. As a young adult, I spent many hours hiking and horseback riding through the Appalachian mountains and valleys, constantly capturing mental images that I would later draw and paint. I was introduced to different art media and techniques during an introductory art class in high school and enjoyed using my new tools to recreate on paper what I saw and experienced in my daily life.
I was also fascinated by the microscopic world and spent hours observing its miniscule inhabitants through a microscope which belonged to a neighbor, Dr. Andrew Ingles, Professor of Biology at nearby Radford College (now Radford University). Dr. Ingles encouraged me to make detailed drawings of what I observed and years later it was my pleasure to attend classes in Biology and Microscopy taught by this special mentor. Of course his scientific drawing assignments were my favorite. I obtained a degree in Biology and Earth Science and a Collegiate Teaching Certificate from Radford University in 1976 and for the next 18 years, art helped me shared the wonders of the natural world with my students.
My life took another turn when I noticed an announcement of a group watercolor class being offered by Lyndall Mason, a retired art instructor for the local school system. It was her class that gave me a new perspective on my talent. Her joy in painting was so contagious, her encouragement so inspiring and her guidance so thoughtfully given that I began to invest more and more time immersing myself in painting with watercolors. I have since attended her classes often and was pleased to display several of my paintings at the Fine Arts Center in Pulaski, Virginia as part of an exhibit in honor of Mrs. Mason and featuring works by her former students.
Today, I have returned again to spending many of my days much as I did years ago, cooking and coloring. The pies are MUCH tastier, the crayons have been replaced by watercolors but the joy of creativity is just as exciting. I am pleased to share my artwork with you.