Formal art training began for me at the University of Illinois, but I discovered a passion for painting at
Western Illinois University. The life-long enrichment of living in a rural university community has
provided encouragement for my growth as an artist. My career has included raising 3 children, teaching
art and school counseling & volunteering. Now retired with 6 grandchildren, I find more time for
painting. My educator/ potter husband, Dean Rockwell, share Earth Air & Water Studio in Macomb.
Though I’m interested in a variety of subjects, I find I return to painting “Mindscapes” - my response to
landscapes. The influence of rural Illinois skies and fields impact my images, while memories from
travels also impact my paintings. Be it watercolor or oil, I manipulate color, texture, and shape to
capture light, and create mood.
I’m a juried Illinois Department of Natural Resources Artisan. My work has been shown in regional and
nationally juried exhibits as well as in private & public collections. A series of collaged Ponca chief
portraits, are displayed in their Nebraska tribal headquarters & were displayed at the National Museum
of the American Indian Smithsonian in Washington, DC during the “We Are A People” Festival.