About The Artist

I am inspired to paint by the beauty I see and feel. I see beauty in nature, and in the beautiful faces of people around me every day. I believe every person has a story to tell, and every story can inspire. I create with oil paint or colored pencils. I enjoy each for their own qualities. I like colored pencil for the expressive, life-like feeling of the finished piece and for the quiet ease of working with it. I enjoy oil painting for it’s versatility and challenges and for the vibrant color and depth that it yields. The joy in LIFE and ART comes to us in the beauty and meaning we find even in the smallest details. I live in Michigan with my husband and three children. I grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and I was greatly influenced in my love of art by my Mother and Grandmother and the beauty of nature I grew up surrounded by. Primarily self taught, I have loved to create art almost as long as I can remember. I discovered my talent for painting in a high school class, and continued my education at Southern Adventist University, in Tennessee where I studied Art and Psychology. My eventual goal is to help people as an Art Therapist. When my children were young, I began to paint professionally from my home studio, and for the last five years have enjoyed teaching children’s art classes in addition to creating my own art. When teaching, my goal is to “inspire students to see the world as an artist sees,” and to experience the joy of creating and personal expression in a fun and positive environment. In my studio, I mostly paint portraits. In addition, the last few years, I have been working on a series of paintings of mothers and children. I want to capture the beautiful selfless caring of mothers that take place in everyday moments. When I paint, it is a spiritual expression of the happiness and love and peace I have felt in the stories of my life. I choose subjects to paint by the idea they express, or the story they tell. I hope as the viewer, you are inspired as you look at my paintings. That they will be more than just art, but a window into a story, and as you view that story you will be reminded of the beautiful moments of your own life. LilyPadArtStudio@yahoo.com www.lilypadart.net etsy.com/LilyPadArtStudio