I grew up in the rural part of Westbrook, Maine in a small blue house, surrounded by wide open fields where I kept my horse. I went to college at the Portland School of Art. There I majored in painting, and later attended classes in painting and jewelry design at Texas Tech University. After my education, I pursued a career as a Jeweler but never stopped painting.
I now reside in Scarborough where the beauty of the beaches, trees, and open marsh fields called me back to painting on a full time basis. My heritage also inspires my artwork. As a child, my family and I visited our cottage on the beautiful red sand beaches of Prince Edward Island. Now, with a family of my own, I make the trek to the Island each year to paint En plein air. Painting landscapes gives me a freedom to use broader brush strokes and play with the natural light of the time of day.
When starting a painting, the energy in the brush strokes provoke a movement and a commitment from me as a painter to my viewers. While immersed in the process of painting, and even just observing the scenic beauty of driving down a road, I see the world in mixtures of color, shapes, light, and contrast. My goal as a painter is to capture the essence of the beauty I see. I strive to translate these complexities and peace of the natural world around us through my art. I love keeping my mind open to expand this process each day.
I paint with oil, acrylic or pastel, really enjoying what each medium has to offer. I tend to let the subject matter and “what feel I want to go after” dictate which process I will use. I would describe my paintings as vivid landscapes of places I have a connection to. Whether I am in my studio or outside working fast to capture the moment, my paintings tell a story of where life has taken me, and sometimes, where I want to be.