Creativity was part of my life from as early as I can remember. Growing up in NW Florida, USA, in the late 1950's and 1960's, I had ample opportunity to play outside and experience the world around me. Art was part of the curriculum at school from elementary school days, and I was encouraged to explore different media and ways to express what I was seeing and feeling.
In my late teens, I fell in love with photography! I discovered the capture of light and shape on film. Then, oh, the magic of the darkroom! I could play in the darkroom for hours whether it was the makeshift darkroom in my bathroom or the more formal darkrooms I had access to over the years. And I learned to use the tools of light, composition, manipulation to express myself. As I began to interact with others who loved photography, I opened my work to critique and learned from the critique of images by other photographers. I learned from exploring the work of different photographers and of artists in diverse media.
I was fortunate to be able to take classes in one of the best two year college programs in the USA, and earned my A.S. degree in photography just as photography was moving into the digital age. Although at this time photography was not my career, it was a passion that grew and that enriched my life. In the program, I learned essential skills to better express my vision and share what I saw and felt of the world around me. I learned about and from image-makers who came before and from the passionate young photographers in my classes. I experimented freely, and by graduation time produced a series of composite images that were a creative expression of "me" and my world at that time.
Far from diverting me from art, my diverse experiences both working professionally with horses and teaching biological sciences at the college level have enriched the depth of my vision and storytelling. I have continued to create images with personal meaning and narrative and am now able to devote much of my time to creating art in my personal studio. My affiliations with various artist organizations and galleries have also contributed significantly to my growth by enabling fruitful exchanges of ideas and techniques. I enjoy sharing my art knowledge and passion by teaching classes and workshops around central Florida where I am a full-time resident. My passion is to help students get the results they desire rather than to simply impart skills. In sharing my art knowledge, I find that I learn as much from these students as they learn from me, and I am continually gleaning new stories from these creative people.
For my art, I get inspiration from our shared human experience, and for me each scene has its own compelling narrative. True to my photographic vision, I start each piece with a camera, and I may use techniques such as slow shutter speed or intentional camera movement to portray my vision for the image. Then I allow the image to tell its tale as I add encaustic wax to builds layers and textures as well as incorporating other media such as paints or pastels. This more tactile approach connects Me more deeply to the work as the piece evolves. I invite both my own inner self and the viewers to feel the art rather than passively look at it.
click here for complete bio/resume
In my late teens, I fell in love with photography! I discovered the capture of light and shape on film. Then, oh, the magic of the darkroom! I could play in the darkroom for hours whether it was the makeshift darkroom in my bathroom or the more formal darkrooms I had access to over the years. And I learned to use the tools of light, composition, manipulation to express myself. As I began to interact with others who loved photography, I opened my work to critique and learned from the critique of images by other photographers. I learned from exploring the work of different photographers and of artists in diverse media.
I was fortunate to be able to take classes in one of the best two year college programs in the USA, and earned my A.S. degree in photography just as photography was moving into the digital age. Although at this time photography was not my career, it was a passion that grew and that enriched my life. In the program, I learned essential skills to better express my vision and share what I saw and felt of the world around me. I learned about and from image-makers who came before and from the passionate young photographers in my classes. I experimented freely, and by graduation time produced a series of composite images that were a creative expression of "me" and my world at that time.
Far from diverting me from art, my diverse experiences both working professionally with horses and teaching biological sciences at the college level have enriched the depth of my vision and storytelling. I have continued to create images with personal meaning and narrative and am now able to devote much of my time to creating art in my personal studio. My affiliations with various artist organizations and galleries have also contributed significantly to my growth by enabling fruitful exchanges of ideas and techniques. I enjoy sharing my art knowledge and passion by teaching classes and workshops around central Florida where I am a full-time resident. My passion is to help students get the results they desire rather than to simply impart skills. In sharing my art knowledge, I find that I learn as much from these students as they learn from me, and I am continually gleaning new stories from these creative people.
For my art, I get inspiration from our shared human experience, and for me each scene has its own compelling narrative. True to my photographic vision, I start each piece with a camera, and I may use techniques such as slow shutter speed or intentional camera movement to portray my vision for the image. Then I allow the image to tell its tale as I add encaustic wax to builds layers and textures as well as incorporating other media such as paints or pastels. This more tactile approach connects Me more deeply to the work as the piece evolves. I invite both my own inner self and the viewers to feel the art rather than passively look at it.
click here for complete bio/resume