Biography

I am a painter living in Tacoma, Washington. My art has been the driving force in my life ever since I created eight large pastel drawings of whales in 6th grade, and I discovered that I was an artist at my core. I painted my first oil paintings on canvas in high school, encouraged by a wise and gentle teacher named Heidi. After majoring in Art and Psychology in college, I and moved back to the Pacific Northwest and settled in Seattle in 1990. I lived and painted there until 2011, when I relocated to beautiful Tacoma. In 2017, my husband Russell finished building my studio next to our house, and working in it has been a dream come true.  The space is not that large, but the walls are 14' tall, which gives it a very spacious feeling. My friend Karey calls it the Art Church. I hope you can come visit some day. 

Typically, the stories in my paintings are partially based in reality, but I let my imagination and love of color take the painting where it needs to go. The results are mysterious and sometimes sad, but contain a familiarity and warmth. My hope is that these elements will invite and encourage the viewer to connect deeply with my work.  The older I get, the less I know, which is great for making paintings. 

Me, 1971. I was born and raised in Oregon.

In the studio, September 2021. photo credit: Kris Crews

On the porch of the Tacoma studio. 2020