I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. Growing up, we lived on the edges of Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I would spend many happy hours exploring the woods and fields and the Huron River upon whose banks our house sat. This is where my deep love of Nature and all her creatures began.

I have to admit, though, that my first and most passionate love has always been, and will forever be, horses. It was only natural that I expressed this love from early on in my art, and what glorious, beautiful, inspiring subjects they are! 

In the early days, I was self-taught. A formal art education didn’t begin until I was well into my thirties when a summer drawing class led to enrollment in the Commercial Art program at Northwestern Michigan College. While at NMC, I received the foundation of a good art education in realism and took every class in drawing and painting that I could. From that foundation, I was able to continue my education through workshops, books, videos, and by belonging to art groups. 

I’m primarily a studio artist who does get out to do some plein air painting every once in a while. My focus has always been on realism. Color and light effects are my fascination. Oils, pastel, and graphite are my main media. 

For 28 glorious years, I had my own horse and spent many hours trail riding in the Northern Michigan woods and fields. Sometimes I took a sketchbook to the barn to sketch the horses, the barn, and the pastures. Those were idyllic years that remain now only in my memories and in my art.