My work takes on many forms from pottery, painted tiles and "found" objects to greeting/post cards, prints, magnets, pins, containers, tote bags, clothing, et cetera. A large part of my inspiration comes from a desire to honor the Earth and all living Beings. I RECYCLE gently used items so that they will be REUSED, thereby RENEWING each item so that it is REBORN. Each piece has a chance to return to life rather than taking up dead space on our planet. Inventory is constantly changing as I "find" new treasures to paint/rebirth. This process also supports local agencies, charities, those-in-need as I purchase most of my items at places like the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store, Greenwood Wildlife Thrift, Ares, Salvation Army, Savers and many, many more. Most of my work involves recycled parts, some does not. My images range from the comical to the spiritual.

To RECYCLE gently used items so that they will be REUSED. RENEWING each piece so that it is REBORN and therefore desirable again.

Each of these pieces returns to life rather than taking up dead space on our planet.

Since I was a wee child I've been creating art. In school I was always the art teacher's "pet". Through-out the years I was given a key to the art room and was encouraged to "create" any time there wasn't a class happening. For a long time when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I'd say "art teacher". When I was considering going to college I had a talk with my father. He told me not to be an art teacher because there's "no money in it". For the next 30 years (!) I did everything from driving an ice cream truck to picking up trash on the beach. I've worked retail and have had several businesses in the culinary world from catering to work as a personal chef (which I still do occasionally and love!). My art has always taken a 'back-seat'... sometimes further out of my life than that (in the trunk?).

In the last several years I've done these travel journals while on vacation. On holiday I would draw a moment from the day or a place we would stop or whatever. Some curious fellow travelers would ask what I was doing and I'd show them. My little cartoon-y drawings would often cause them to giggle and many would ask why I wasn't showing them to 'the world'. I'd shrug and/or mumble something about how they were just for me or they were silly or blah, blah, blah.

Sometime in late 2006 I showed my current sketch book to a friend who told me my work felt healing to her. It was playful and joyful and so needed on the planet right now. That started the grand movement and removal of whatever was holding me back from making the commitment to share my art with a wider audience. I felt compelled to draw every day just to see what came out. Of course, with anything like this (in my life anyway) come the tests - just to be sure I REALLY want to do this/that, right? The test came with two different men about a week apart. Each asked me 'what I do' for a living. When I squeaked out "I am an artist" (still new and still practicing saying that) they both made the same comment, "Geeze, it must be tough to make a living being an artist". When the first gentleman said that (and then asked me for my card for some possible commissioned artwork) I envisioned myself gently pushing his thought/belief/comment back to him - it was his anyway - it belonged to him so I was just returning it to its owner. The second part of this is where I feel "the curse" my father set before me, which I picked up and held onto for so very long, was reversed. When the second man said the very same thing I said, "wow, that's what my father once said to me and I believed him!... haha" I knew then I was now free.