My love for creating began as a young child growing up in the Chicago suburbs.  My parents encouraged my interest in art by enrolling me in art classes and investing in quality art materials. I earned a degree in art education from Eastern Illinois University in 1991 and soon after moved to central Illinois for a teaching career that would last 25 years. When I left teaching after the 2016-17 school year, I knew I wanted to create art and exhibit my work.  After an exploratory year of working in a variety of media, I noticed I enjoyed painting the most.  I built up an inventory of work during the pandemic and set out for my first markets and fairs in 2022.