Hollyhock shadows... Tattoo our sunshine drenched legs... Angels envy us.

As a child and teenager I loved to draw and paint.  I focused on portraits.  I enjoyed art class in high school, making many memorable-to-my-family-only art works such as a giant alligator with blue and green scales and false eyelashes.  After that - I gave up all art except for ballet, which I taught for many years.  

Later, as I neared retirement, I began to take a watercolor class at the local community college at the urging of a friend.  My first teacher was Roberta Rogers.  I was so afraid of watercolors that when she told us to wet our paper and then put color on it, I froze.  I literally could not move.  As time went on I got more comfortable with it and eventually took a class in Sedona from Skip Lawrence.  That was a turning point for me.  He was challenging, encouraging, funny, and knowledgeable.  I loved it and began painting with opaque watercolors.

In the meantime, I had begun taking oil painting workshops with Larisa Aukon in Flagstaff and Sedona.  Another great influence.  She was so encouraging, challenging, funny, and knowledegeable.  

As I began to shift my emphasis from realistic to representational expressionism, I found myself enjoying painting more and more. 

Now I paint because I love the process.  The same reason I still take ballet class.  I think those two arts are the only things in which I have enjoyed process.  Reading about other artists has been inspirational as well.  

So, I hope you enjoy the paintings.  My purpose has become to express the way I see our world and lives.