While growing up on a farm in Paradise, Pennsylvania, I dreamed of making it big – becoming a journalist and living in New York City.

Life, however, took me in a different direction. I married less than a year after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BS in Mass Communications. I moved quite a bit for my then husband’s job and during that time I earned a Masters in Elementary Education.

It was during my pregnancy with my daughter that I rediscovered art and my passion for it. After having children, I loved creating with them. From life-size portraits to abstract paintings and collages, we were frequently making stuff.

One of our many moves gave me the opportunity to experience living in the chaos of Cairo, Egypt with two young children. The year we spent there was not nearly long enough, but I had the opportunity to be the editor of and write for the Maadi Messenger, a magazine for expatriates.

Following Egypt I then maneuvered life outside of the city that never sleeps, Moscow, Russia, for almost seven years. It was during that time that I sold my first painting. I also had the opportunity to donate two large pieces which were auctioned at a gala event and brought in thousands of dollars for local charities. Living in Moscow had its challenges and art was always a haven for me.

While it was never my plan, I am back on the farm in Paradise, Pennsylvania and loving life. I live in a cute little “tenant” house with a fantastic sunroom that has become my studio. Besides creating happy art, I love walking my dog through the farm fields and woods, dancing like a goof, and hanging out with my two adult children.

favorite paint?

Acrylic paint is my paint of choice, but don’t have a favorite brand. I use Golden, Liquitex, old house paint (those samples are great!), and craft paints of all kinds.

favorite substrate?

Canvas is my favorite substrate because of the texture that comes through. However, I also paint on paper, wood and sometimes cardboard. If it can be painted on, I’ll probably try it at some point.

other mediums?

Because I have a little bit of the “squirrel” mentality, I use a variety of mediums in my artwork. Some of my favorites are graphite (pencils & graphite sticks), water soluble oil pastels, oil pastels and charcoal.

varnish?

If a work has a medium that will smudge (for example, graphite), I will varnish the piece. However, because of the nature of my work sometimes different areas of the piece will have different finishes. So as not to lose the variation, I don’t varnish these pieces.

what about framing?

I personally hate to have artwork framed. I feel like it’s a hassle and it’s expensive. And, well, I love the look of a deep canvas without a frame. For that reason, I paint the edges of my canvases and birch wood panels so that framing isn’t a requirement.