ABOUT ME

Art

As a visual artist and musician I have always been drawn to seek and find a way to tap into that mysterious, sometimes illusive source of creativity. Where does that spark come from? How can we tap into the flow and be the medium through which ideas can materialize?

I now mostly paint with watercolors. Watercolor as a medium provides a tantalizing challenge for me from both sides of my brain: I love the studied discipline learning about papers, color mixing, pigments, water, brushes and technique but it's the relationship I have with it that is the gift. It teaches me about acceptance and patience, delight and awe. This medium has a spirit and a "mind" of its own. So it's always about the journey, the process, and balancing the skill and craft of your art with allowing the release and joy in the moment of the creative act.

My early art education was at the California College of the Arts where I was schooled in the style of realist painters of the time. Eventually I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from Pacific Northwest College of Art.

I have a Master's Degree from Marylhurst University where my focus was the role of the arts in creating sustainable culture. During this period I discovered the work of Angeles Arrien which provided the foundation for my own evolving model of the universe and how we bring our own unique "original medicine" to our experience.

I have played guitar since I was a kid and started writing songs soon after I learned to play. I picked up the mandolin at some point and have performed as an independent travelling troubador, played in bands and duos and trios. I have produced four albums of original material and I love the craft of songwriting. Some of my songs have been recorded by other singer/songwriters and some have been arranged and performed by full choirs. I have taught guitar, ukulele, songwriting and watercolor. I have led song circles, organized all-ages women's retreats and sing-alongs at community and elder care centers. I have had the honor and privelege of guiding and singing at spiritual gatherings and memorial services. What I love most is how music connects us.