Although painting has been an important part of my life since childhood, I began painting more seriously in 2005, when I quit my job as a school librarian and began to focus my efforts on improving my skills as a watercolorist and developing a consistent and recognizable painting style.

I work in a realistic style with transparent watercolor, occasionally using touches of gouache. My palette has evolved to include a variety of pigments, many of which are transparent and intensely saturated. I also look for pigments that are sedimentary, since I love the unique effects that can be achieved when those pigments are combined in mixtures.

I am inspired by a variety of subjects. I spend many hours photographing flowers in as many settings as I can.  I also set up still lifes in my studio, arranging and rearranging them until I find a composition that inspires me.  I am fortunate to live in Boulder, Colorado, one of the most beautiful small cities in the country, so I have a never-ending source of inspiration for my landscape paintings.  And some of my favorite landscape paintings have been from my travels around the United States and Europe; I take many photographs and also enjoy making illustrated journals when I travel.  There’s beauty everywhere…slow down and look for it.