One of my favorite past times as a child was sitting on the pier at Lake Martin , staring into the sun’s reflections on the water until all I could see were a thousand diamonds. I’ve always been interested in observing things through the obvious into their other realms of beauty. My southern upbringing and surroundings have always placed beauty in my path. I know that’s not the answer people are looking for when they ask that question, but Nature and my world has influenced me the most, artistically. Maybe that’s the gift given to artist…not the way they perform their craft but in the way they look at the world.

    My first art acquisition was made at 8 as a nagging child who begged her mom to buy a cardboard print of sunflowers while shopping for groceries at the A&P. I’ve been in love with the whole tragic story of Van Gogh ever since and I’m amazed at the beautiful light that shows through in his work, especially in his “The Starry Night” painting. Some of my other favorites have been Peter Paul Rubens, Rothko, Calder, Louise Nevelson, and Mary Cassatt to name a few. My minor in college was art history and I was fortunate to work with one of the best American art collections in the world, the Warner Collection, http://www.warnermuseum.org so it’s hard to narrow the choices.

   Currently I am working 4 days a week as the marketing director for a local accounting firm and painting at least one day a week. I have completed 2 commissions this year and working on my third. I paint one or two paintings a month on average. I'm thinking of going to a larger canvas...just "thinking". I am happy that I paint - and try not to complain or worry that it's not often enough and just enjoy the journey, regardless of how long or short it may be.

*Plein-air: Characterizing the work of a school of French impressionist painters concerned with the representation of objects seen under brilliant sunlight, and other outdoor effects.