I work in watercolor and acrylic paint, letting water create the movement and expression of the piece – trying not to control the process. In my work, water is in control, moving the paint to reflect moments of healing, resilience, and freedom through nature. Oceans, lakes, mountains, forests, plants and animals are my muse. Nature has a healing element and cannot be controlled. My personal fallback for healing has always been nature – diving into a lake, riding ocean waves, sitting on the beach, hiking through the forest, horseback riding, gardening – anything in and with nature. I have drawn and painted since I was young, but life got in the way of being an artist until adulthood. I started my career as a nurse. In college, I wanted to double major – nursing and studio art. Two majors, too much to manage, and control. I became a nurse and then a brand strategist.

Fast forward; married, husband transferred to Norway, I was seven months pregnant. Soon to be first-time mother, not working, learning a new language and culture, life felt out of control. Out of the blue, my mom sent me a box – paint brushes, fabric paint, blank chambray shirts and a note simply saying – “Just paint something on them. Let go, have fun”. I painted trompe l’oeil patterns over the shoulder of the jackets; water, nature, outdoor scenes experienced in Norway. The shirts became popular, selling in Europe and the U.S. Fast forward; back in the U.S., back to work, parents passing in tragic ways, cross-country moves, job changes, more. A pivotal family trip to Wyoming – to climb The Grande. I couldn’t make the full climb, but nature was my hero. It changed our family’s approach to life in general.

 Another creative push forward, from my daughter, inviting me to join her in a 100-day creative challenge; I haven’t put my brushes down since. My creative process begins with my sketch book and free drawing of places I’ve been, things I’ve done or seen. I often add swaths of paint or colored pencil to explore the light and movement. Occasionally, I will cut my sketch out with scissors, to “feel” the movement. I then move on to the paper or canvas with water and a brush, sometimes with no sketch or lines to work from – just the movement I explored in sketches. Education: Skidmore College