I am a realist painter from the southeast of the United States. I reside in the foothills of upstate South Carolina. Art has been a passion of mine throughout life. I have been creating art since I can remember. My basic love of photography has grown throughout the years. From my photography is usually where I find ideas for creating my art. I love all types of medium but my concentration is watercolor. I also use colored pencil, soft pastels and mixed media. I work on several projects simultaneously in different mediums. I am primarily a self taught watercolor artist that learned the medium by reading watercolor books several years after graduating college. I love to concentrate on the details. I can spend many hours on one painting just to get the details I am striving for.  My paintings are about contrast: lights against darks, colors against their complements, and most of all, smooth washes against detailed dry brush areas. 

   

     I find inspiration all around me. I always try to have my camera with me just in case I see that perfectly shaped flower or the cloud that is resting partially in front of the golden sun, and if I am lucky, the sunrays reaching out beneath the cloud as if trying to touch the treetops standing high upon the mountain top. I find inspiration in simple things, the jars of jelly I just finished canning, the vegetables just picked from the garden, or even a pretty little weed growing in the grass. 

I am continuously looking for inspiration and running to grab my camera when I see it. 

    

     I would like to dedicate my website to my family and friends for always being proud to show my art and supporting me while I pursue my passion. And to my son, Ryan, for putting up with having a “"Artist”" mom that spends all day on snowy days traveling around with our family taking photos of anything and everything and also for keeping me focused and letting me know when a painting isn't progressing quick enough. Everything that has been and will be created I dedicate to the special people in my life.

 

 

Education:

 

Design and Art Credits, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY

 

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, graduated with Academic Honors, Converse College, Spartanburg SC

 

Certificate of Merit, SC Governor’s School for the Arts