Who I Am

I have wanted to paint watercolor it seems like all of my life … but there was never time. I graduated from Ottumwa High School, and then from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Music Education. Following several years of teaching music, I received an MA in Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado.

My husband, Jack, and I lived in Iowa, North Dakota, Montana, and Arkansas and traveled mostly in the western United States. I gathered images of the beauty of all those regions in my heart and mind, and they emerge in my art.

I have been painting and on this wonderful, joyful watercolor journey about two and a half years, Although it can be a challenge, I love the way the water and the paint flow together, and the way the paint sometimes just creates on its own. I chose to learn to paint in a loose style because I have always loved to be in control, and I had to learn to let go of that to paint freely. It has been a lesson! I studied watercolor online with videos and classes and have been greatly influenced by the art of Angela Fehr, Jean Haines, and Rae Andrews.

During the lockdown of the pandemic in 2020 I decided to start posting my art online daily on Facebook. My purpose was to give people something else to think about for just a moment and to maybe raise their spirits. That has been a true joy for me, and I continue to do that.

I was privileged to hold my first solo show on June 16, 2021. Twenty-one pieces were on display for a month in Ottumwa, Iowa, and the Opening of the show on June 16 was a huge success. Definitely an exciting milestone for me. A few pictures from the show are below.

Recently I was honored to have two of my paintings on loan to the Iowa Congressional Delegation Offices in Washington, DC.

I hope you enjoy my art, and if you are interested in more information about a particular piece, please email me. All paintings pictured on this site are available for purchase. If the piece is listed on shop Iowa, the link will take you directly to that site where you may purchase the art. Prints and note cards will be availble on Shop Iowa in the very near future! Thank you for your interest.