I grew up as an “Army Brat”, attended 17 different schools and moved often. I never had a true feeling of where a geographical home was, but have feelings of nostalgia for my maternal grandparent’s farm in northern Minnesota and a feeling of connection to Holland, where my father grew up. 

I’ve always loved and found peace in nature and animals. These are things that my  father fostered in me. Many of my paintings are of nature and from some of my favorite hiking trails. There is also something about nature, taking over man made structures that attracts me. The old barns falling apart, cars being taken over by vines. I have no formal training in art, aside from a few community classes and a supportive mentor who is honest with her critiques.

I worked as a RN for many years, the last 20 in the Emergency Department and fell in love with both the chaos and the people I worked with. There was an intensity in that work that I now find in the process of laying down paint on canvas. I love color, and try to create paintings that evoke some type of emotion, that has meaning for me. While I was working I didn’t have the emotional energy to paint. But with retirement I have the freedom to explore other things, and have been painting since 2020. I love all the feelings that come from creating. The frustration, the challenge, the joy, the feeling of a loaded brush putting color and texture down on a surface.

So, with the support of my biggest fan, my husband, I look forward to years of painting, of  looking at things around me differently and trying to create in form and color what I feel.

I hope you enjoy looking at my artwork and that some of my pieces connect with an emotion inside of you.