About the Artist

Painting is like poetry. Both poet and painter offer unique perspectives through art. The poet paints with rhyme and rhythm, simile and metaphor to say, “Consider this!” The painter writes wordlessly with color, shape, value and hue to shout, “LOOK! Look at THIS!” A good painting, like a good poem, excites the senses and the mind by highlighting the ironies and the barely noticed subtleties of life as we live it.

I find this is true not just for the viewer, but also for myself when I paint. Sometimes when I stand back from a finished project, I appreciate the scene or subject of my painting so much more. Merely framing and translating a corner of reality in paint helps me better attend to its beauty or sublimity. It primes me to see the potential transcendence of every shining moment and encounter. At my best as a painter, my hope is that my work initiates that kind of experience for the viewer.

A southern California native, I grew up in Anaheim and attended Loara High School, where I enjoyed my first formal art classes. I studied at Fullerton College and earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from Cal State, Fullerton. My favorite "artist memory," however, pictures my seventh grade Literature teacher, Sister Claire, holding up my story illustration for all the class to admire. It was an oil pastel of Rip Van Winkle fast asleep against a tree trunk; and because of my teacher's recognition I knew it was good and that I could draw. God bless teachers who notice!

Since that time, I've played with various art media: ink, charcoal, acrylic, watercolor, crayon, etc. My current favorite is oil paint for its rich colors, its slow drying properties and ease of manipulation. I paint what I love: landscapes of southern California; downtown sights of San Juan Capistrano, where I live with my family; people I cherish and places we've shared. I have been honored to work on commissioned projects, and was privileged to illustrate Tending Fences, a book of parables by Terry Barnett Martin. I've become an award winning member of the San Clemente Art Association, which hosts and exhibits several judged art shows annually. My paintings and prints are exhibited and sold at the lovely Cottage Gallery on Los Rios Street in San Juan Capistrano.



Recent Awards - San Clemente Art Gallery Judged Shows: