There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t see a painting in my mind. It could be a bird at my birdfeeder, a tulip bouquet, a child’s sand pail at the beach, a fantasy face, or a romantic interior.

As you go through my gallery, you will see that my subjects are diverse. Anyone will be able to tell that I love color and a bit of whimsy to my paintings. I love ‘happy’ and I hope to spread this feeling through my work for others to experience.

I have been studying art for years now, including late in life college classes. My teachers have given me a technical base and the encouragement to proceed when I was faltering. I am indebted to all of them.

Art has always been present in my life. My mother was a fine artist who would make sure to fit in time to paint while she was raising five girls. I always admired her dedication to the craft. I often remember one of my birthday parties where the party favor was a charcoal portrait of each little girl. My mother's love for art passed on to three of my four sisters, as well as myself. Now, there are four artists in the family.

You could say I have been painting canvases for years, though they’ve taken many different forms. My first career was with a cosmetic company, where I sold lipsticks of all shades and colors. I still believe it takes longer for someone to select a lipstick shade than it does to choose an interior paint color. During my 30+ years as a luxury interior designer, I painted interiors with fabrics, wall paint, wallpaper, carpets, pieces of furniture, lighting, and accessories. After all of the time I spent in the field, it’s perfectly understandable that I first commenced painting with “interiors” as my themes.

My favorite medium, by far, is oil paint. I just adore the juicy colors that are created with each layer of paint, not to mention the transparent glazes I can layer as well. Not to mention the transparent glazes I can layer with oil paint.

However, when I travel, I prefer to use watercolor. It’s another favorite of mine, but I find it difficult to go between that and oil paint. They’re very different mediums that capture their own unique feel. I’ve found that watercolor is very convenient to use while on the road because the clean up is so easy and it dries far faster than oils. I actually love that I have a choice.

I do like to add a “gold leaf” or “silver leaf" to some of my paintings as a bit of a surprise for the audience. I have to admit, I am a bit glitzy creating my own wardrobe style, so why would it be any different in my paintings?

My inspiration for my paintings comes from many different places. Travel is so visual that I take many photos, sketches and color codes to use as references for a painting later. I adore theatre sets, fashion magazines, gardens, and I’ve recently grown to love Instagram.

My favorite days are those that I have a brilliant palette before me and brushes in my hand ready to create a painting.