Art is the breath I must have to keep myself alive. Joyous contentment is with me every moment I am standing in front of the easel, paint brush in hand, listening to my favorite music, loudly.

My inspiration for painting comes from nature. What I see before me becomes the subject of my painting. I express myself with vibrant colors and rich texture. The subject before me becomes a deeper expression of emotional content.

Nature is abundant all around me. I live in the small town of Belleville, Illinois with farmlands and forests surrounding the town. I often explore the rural surroundings looking for inspiration from trees and fields and the way sunlight surrounds the scene. Sunset is my favorite time to go exploring.

Pears and tulips are often represented in my paintings. While pursuing a BFA degree, one professor called me the ‘pear artist’. He really tried to persuade me not to paint pears, but the pears won. The pear and the tulip are symbolic, to me, and represent the fertility of womanhood. Symbolic references are in some of my paintings, yet they remain personal to me, without explanation to others.

My paintings are constructed using the gallery wrap method. I make all of my stretchers, plus stretch and prime the canvas myself. The painted image continues on the four edges of the painting which adds depth to the painting, plus makes framing unnecessary. My oil paintings and pastels are signed on the reverse side. I agree with Georgia O'Keefe that the painted image is more important than the artist’s signature.

Making jewelry is a new found love. Thanks to Maggie my creativity has found a new path to follow. I am discovering that my jewelry wants to be bright in color like my pastels and oils. I also add a touch of glamour to some of my jewelry pieces. I have always been frustrated when shopping for jewelry, never finding what I like. Now, I am no longer frustrated. What I make is what I like to wear, and do wear, with much pride. “Hey, I made this!” is my favorite response when someone says they like the jewelry I'm wearing.

I am engaged in my one true passion that has been with me my entire life, art. Making art, looking at art, and reading about art are all meaningful to me. I am most happy when making art. Creativity truly is the gift that keeps on giving and surprises me along the way. I am still learning from my art and I am always surprised when I see something new emerge in my paintings or my jewelry. “Wow, let’s do that again!” seems to be my personal mantra. I can’t wait to get back to the easel.

So, now you know a little about me and my art. I hope you enjoy our web site and come back often to see what’s new.

I have been creative all of my life. It all began when I started drawing rubber bands, yes, rubber bands, at the age of two. I then began drawing shoes, and then outfits, and finally, people to go in the outfits. The stories surrounding those people soon followed and the stories and poems came forth. I spent a great deal of my younger days writing.

Unfortunately, as I grew older my creative side was not nourished although I always knew it was there. I was encouraged to go to school and get a 'real job' but the creativity that was my being longed to be free. I taught myself to crochet and knit. I continued drawing and writing. Soon, I was teaching myself every craft I could.

A friend taught me peyote beading and my love for beads blossomed. Looking down at a tray of beads puts my soul at rest and sends my brain into a tizzy of creativity. I let the beads tell me what they want to be. Sometimes, I keep a bag of beads for months or even years before I know exactly what they want to become. There are times that I do not particularly like what they become but they cannot be anything else. The beads have spoken.

I always make my items, be them fiber arts or beading, when my heart is full. The only energy infused within them is pure love and contentment. I never create when I am sad, depressed or angry as I realize that the energy going into my creations would be negative.

Please wear and give my creations with love, as that is how I present them to you.