ARTIST BIO

I was raised in Washington State by parents who were mountaineers and sailors. As an only child, my companion was nature. Decades later, the years spent mesmerized by water splashing off the hull of our sailboat, clouds changing shapes above, and gazing for hours on end at the horizon influence what now emerges in art form.

Integral to unfolding my creative process was the influence of my late mother, an artist who was a narcissist. As children of narcissistic parents often do, I became an over-pleaser and over-achiever with a deep fear of criticism. I buried my artistic side and followed the more culturally accepted path of business and leadership for decades.

In 2022, I added the ICF-certified Jungian Life Coach qualification to my coaching toolbelt. It was a process that required application of what I was learning and, as a result, my buried creativity burst forth.

Early 2023, I took a leap of faith, reprioritizing my coaching business and life to make time for daily painting. No longer inhibited by fear of criticism or driven by perfectionism (as much), I began reading, watching, talking, and learning everything I could about cold wax painting—a medium that shines—when relinquishing the need to control.

A short time later, having started virtually from scratch, I sold my first painting and fully stepped into the role of “artist.” I’ve never done anything that feels so right!

As an artist, I have five guidelines I follow:
1. Create without attachment to the outcome.
2. Create from a space of joy.
3. Embrace Wabi-Sabi (imperfection).
4. Step away from painting the minute it begins to feel like “work.”
5. Go with the flow.

I am a reformed busyness addict, no longer pushing and planning my way through life. This ease is now the basis for my life  and my art.

For 59 years, art had no place in my life. I wasn’t waiting for the “right time,” nor was I carrying a dormant creative dream. I had no interest at all. What follows is a brief timeline of the unexpected events that led to a radical life pivot.

January 2023: Read “Cafe on the Edge of the World”, which posed three life-changing questions. Realized my life priorities were out of balance.
February 2023: Closed my coaching business.
Mid-March 2023: Began painting (with no prior experience).
June 2023: Sold my first painting, Mountain Dreamer.
October 2023: Joined the Cold Wax Academy for a 365-day learning journey.
February 2024: Invited to co-show, May through July, at Wilderbee Tasting Room. Broke the sales record for shows hosted at this venue.
June 2024: Invited to ‘jury’ for membership – Port Townsend Gallery. Unanimously voted in.
July 2024: Sold my first painting(s) through gallery sales.
October 2024: Experienced my first artist block. Exited the Cold Wax Academy – I learned a lot, but chose to release the thinking mind. Intuitively guided creative flow returned…
2025: Expanded home art studio, steady creativity, began teaching.
2026:

PARTICIPATION
WilderBee Farms/Mead Werks Exhibition: May 2024 – July 2024.
Port Townsend Gallery: July 2024 – present.
Cold Wax Academy: October 2024 – October 2025.
AAUW 2025 Donor Artist
Teaching Artist: NW School of Arts 2025 – present.

Pin It on Pinterest