I grew up in a garden ..................... I paint flowers 

I lived in Southern California ................. I like light

I traveled in Central America ................ I love color

I have survived ....................... I see shades of gray

I Read ................. I Experiment ................. I Learn

From the Inside

In my life there are four main connections, they reach from Earth to soul, from creation to fulfillment, and from tradition to appreciation. My understandings about life are found in these connections.

From Earth;
I'm really a peasant at heart, I love working barefoot in the dirt. Pausing to watch and listen to a flight of geese on migration thrills me to my core. I can hear birds sing, and watch chickadees bathe in the fountain while I work. I am the luckiest soul alive!

To Soul:
The earth and soul are two aspects of the same concept. They regenerate through cycles of time. As our chemistry recycles into trees and cherries; our living energy recycles into the communal energy pool to fuel new lives. Our souls becomes memories which hopefully inspire new generations.

Creation to Fulfillment:
In creative expression we fulfill our greatest flights of fancy, our noblest thoughts. Our minds, our hands, our work, these things define our lives.

Tradition to Appreciation:
Change sustains life and refreshes the intellect. Still there is much to be treasured in the old ways and connections. My father worked in the soil, watched things grow and talked to the birds while he worked, he knew he was the luckiest man alive.

Connection to the Source:
I share the universal energy with all things.

From the Outside

In Brief

I have been a artist for 35 years. I have worked in many mediums, including watercolor painting, ceramic tile, ceramic sculpture, art quilts, paper mache', wood and pencil. My favorite themes are the beauty of the garden, the loss of old traditions, and unexpected change. Watercolor, and ceramic tile mosaic, are what I am best known for.I have sold my mosaics as far away as Beiging China and as close as my neighbors's yard. You may have seen my work at Northwest art fairs and galleries or in Southern California. My studio, Snohomish Arts is open by appointment.I teach Watercolor painting and design, and paper mache' mask making, publicly and give watercolor, and ceramics lessons privately.I am self taught.

In Not So Brief          

I was born in 1954 in Victoria BC Canada where I spent my childhood summers exploring museums, libraries, and famously beautiful parks. School months were passed in Santa Barbara, California where I lived in my family's wholesale flower nursery. Being constantly surrounded by soil and plants, both as chores and as table talk, gave me a solid grounding in the garden.            

Interest in the arts started in high school. Before painting I explored my talents in theater and fashion design, and fiber art. I briefly studied theater design at Hancock College, Santa Maria Ca. Six months spent in Guatemala exporting textiles fed my appreciation of pattern and lust for color. I began to work with watercolor in 1983. I have competed and shown in many West coast galleries. I am self taught.

In 1987 our family moved to Northwest Washington. In this new environment I began moving toward a new artistic experience, I changed my medium to ceramics and developed techniques and a style inspired by my new surroundings.

Teaching beginning and advanced watercolor at the Snohomish Continuing Education Program, Edmonds Community College, and Everett Schack Center for the Art inspired the established of "Local Color", a painting group in Snohomish WA for the open sharing and critique of local watercolor artists.

II believe in a prosperous future for the arts and artists. To encourage this end I have volunteered at local schools and arts education groups as a demonstrator and hands on instructor.