As a child, I always loved to draw but I didn't know God had given me the gift to paint until I was 58 years old. My Mother was a painter and my sister is a retired award winning art teacher. I was always creative but I never believed I had the patience to paint. For two years, l found myself studying paintings, both my mother's and others’, and recognizing that I understood HOW they achieved those shadows, the light, the movement, the folds in the clothes. Then, in 2010, an eight-year-old artist in England started taking the art world by storm as ‘The New Monet.’  He was eight and I was 58 and I knew it was time for me to learn to paint!  Once I discovered my passion for painting, I lost all patience for anything else.

Born and raised in Tallahassee, as an adult I lived in Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama and Louisiana before returning to Tallahassee in 1986. I raised two sons and owned a Commercial Real Estate Brokerage for several years until realizing my greater love was painting. I closed my business and joined trusted fellow agents at Structure Commercial Real Estate. This allowed me one morning a week to take art classes. I painted in only acrylics the first four years and then moved to oil, which I love. I have been active in local art exhibits and was accepted in my first exhibit with COCA after painting only five months. I have since won many awards in different exhibits in Tallahassee and Valdosta and have been chosen three times for the Colson Calendar in Valdosta.  My Last Stroll Before Dark won the very first People’s Choice Award in the international Plein Air Salon, a monthly contest by the Plein Air Magazine. I was a finalist in that category in the 11^th Annual Plein Air Salon Art Competition.  I am currently active on the Art Council at the Tallahassee Senior Center.

My husband and I both love photography and together, we have a lot of resources for my paintings. We enjoy visiting wildlife preserves and ‘stalking’ birds, especially water birds, with our cameras in hand. He has lived here since college and has been taking photos of many subjects for many years in North Florida. He has a large repertoire of old buildings that no longer exist in this area which are a wonderful resource for ME!  We make a great team!

  My Life, My Art, My Passion