About

Journeys take us places we never imagined. Mine took me from mother to caretaker, and eventually to a completely empty nest. For the first time in my life I found myself alone and without purpose. After a lifetime of taking care of others, I had to find myself again.

While raising my children, I took numerous classes. I was interested in learning everything from figure drawing to the Trump L’Oi painting method. When I wanted to stencil the walls in my home, I didn’t study books, I designed and made my own from scratch. This lead to creating, painting and installing murals at a local church and in neighbors’ homes. After the loss of both my parents, a dear friend and my two dogs, I signed up for art classes at the New York Botanical Gardens. This changed the trajectory of my life.

Learning new watercolor techniques, surrounded by the ageless beauty of the gardens during those quiet, calm, lonely days, opened me up to the realization that life could be different. And I was excited about it! My botanical classes reminded me of my teenage years, filled with drawing and watercolors. Except these mentors and classes took my art to a new level. This unique and modest road is what made me the watercolor art I am today.

When I look at a piece of art I admire, it moves me. Art should evolve and make you feel something warm. This is the feeling I strive to inspire with my own work.

I was born in Bergenfield, New Jersey, however my home and heart live in Maine. Over 10 years ago my husband and I packed up our busy, crowded, intense lives and found our cottage in Cape Elizabeth. Luckily for us, our daughters moved with us!

This was a move toward a more fulfilling way of life. One filled with substance and a slowness. Where time used to be counted in edgy, high-energy minutes, my days are now filled with calm and peace. Everywhere you go, nature abounds—the lakes, oceans, streams—you are surrounded by scenery so beautiful that you can’t help but feel grace.

Kettle Cove with its walking paths and the sheer majesty of the ocean, has galvanized my artistic spirit. So many scenes and stories flew in head that I had to run home and sketch them out, scribbling down bits of animal adventures. I couldn’t wait to break out my brushes and begin painting the world with kindness. Never could have I imagined such happiness.

Moving to Maine completed my arc. I am in a much more peaceful, quieter stage. One that is allowing me to be more present with my family and more inspired with my art. This is what I had been missing for more than half my life. I’m whole now.

On cloudy days I reach for my Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I enjoy the easy nature of the critters and feeling of home the illustrations give me. I have a love affair with beautiful books. Beatrix Potter, Tasha Tudor and Jill Barklem are some of my favorites. These women were more than just illustrators, they were storytellers. Reading their stories as a young girl introduced me to magical worlds—they still do. Which is why I created my own, to inspire little ones (like my grandson) with kindness and joy.

Kettle Cove is another kind of home for me. Whenever I need a boost or change of scenery, I put on my walking shoes and immerse myself in charm of the cove. I usually meander home with pockets full of shells and funny pieces of driftwood that seem to move from room to room, never finding a home, and wildflower clippings to brighten my windowsill. Simple pleasures like these can’t be bought, but they bring a touch of nature and grace to my life.