When I was growing up, art had little place in my Amish community. My parents marveled at the quality of my drawings, but threw them away in the hope that I would pursue something more productive.

I spent much of my adult life working as a operating room nurse, but couldn’t abandon my love for watercolor painting. Working long hours and raising two children didn’t leave me with much free time, but I still managed to paint whenever I got the chance.

Starting Life As A Watercolor Artist

In 1999 I quit nursing to become a full-time watercolor artist. Though I started out with plenty of goals and enthusiasm, it took me several years to develop my own style. I experimented with wildlife, landscapes and still-lifes before I settled down into the contemporary realism that defines my watercolor paintings today.

I find inspiration for my art in the most unlikely places. I embarrass my daughter and flabbergast friends when I stop to photograph dirty gutters, messy restaurant tables and other subjects that often go unseen.

The Journey Is The Destination

In addition to painting contemporary watercolor realism, I maintain a busy schedule teaching watercolor classes and workshops. I love helping my students rediscover their own passion for art, as I did many years ago. My own watercolor paintings may be precise to a fault, but my classes are all about loosening up and having fun.

The most rewarding part of the journey has not been the awards I’ve received or the press I’ve garnered but the heartfelt responses of my students and peers when one of my paintings has touched their heart.

RECENT SELECTED EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS

Art Renewal Center’s International 2008/2009 ARC Salon – one of the top finalists out of over 1,600 entries from around the world

Baltimore Watercolor Society’s Mid Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition – accepted yearly 2000 – 2009 – awarded Bronze Medal 2004

Hilton Head Juried Exhibition 2008(Award), 2009

Philadelphia Watercolor Society’s Works On Paper 2008 (Award), 2007

Mystic Connecticut 2008 Outdoor Art Festival (Award)

Texas Watercolor Society’s National Juried Exhibition 2008 (Award), 2006 (Award)

Allied Artists of America 2007 (Award), 2006 (Award)

Kentucky Watercolor Aqueous USA 2007 (Award)

Keystone National Juried Watermedia Exhibition 2007 (Award)

Missouri National Watercolor Juried Exhibition 2007 (Award)