I grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and in Oregon –on the shores of Klamath Lake and in the Willamette Valley. Naturally rich environments inspire and comfort me. I paint landscapes at a mid-range perspective, one which can more aptly suggest a person’s relationship to it.

In nature I often see the same structure in different entities. This repetition of natural form is visual testimony to a universal, creative source from which all artists, regardless of stature, work. Leonardo da Vinci wrote, “Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.”

I work with soft pastels, because they are pure, luxurious pigment that can be applied in many ways. In addition to being versatile, pastels pack easily and can be used without water or solvents. Unlike oils or other media, pastel paintings do not crack, darken or yellow over time. I paint on Wallis sanded paper because it‘s sturdy and holds many layers of pastel. (Also, a gifted Oregonian pastel artist, Kitty Wallis, invented it.) The surface allows me to put down a lot and still retain a look of freshness and immediacy. Always I seek that mystical, dynamic balance of the elements—color, line, shape, contrast, repetition, the play of texture and patterns, light and shadow.

No day is without inspiration, so I travel with my digital camera, a box of pastels in my suitcase, and Joseph Campbell‘s words, “Follow your bliss, and doors will open.”

I earned a degree from the University of Oregon, where I studied fine arts and secondary education. I have also studied independently with Kitty Wallis, Marla Baggetta, and Jan Maitland in Oregon and with Albert Handell and Anita West in New Mexico.

I have enjoyed exhibiting in shows in Oregon. My painting “San Miguel Allende” (based on a photograph by Rob Thurston) won the People’s Choice Award at the 2004 Howland Community Open. “Blowing Bubbles” won the Peoples‘ Choice Award at the 2005 Corvallis Fall Festival Artists' Showcase.

Many of my pieces are in private collections throughout the northwest. I invite consignments and especially enjoy portraiture.