Although I have been painting professionally since 2005, my excitement for art has spanned many more years. In particular I have enjoyed drawing and painting animals – wild and domestic, large or small since my college days. It is a joy for me to be able to depict wildlife in their natural surroundings.
Nearly all of my paintings are in oil or watercolor. Over the years, I have developed techniques that suit my style of realism. I try to portray each of the animals in as realistic a manner as possible…the details of their feathers, the colors of their coats, and the brilliance of their eyes. There is nothing so penetrating and expressive as an animal’s eyes which is why I concentrate on faithfully depicting that window into their world.
I’m fortunate to live in an area of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert where humans have only lightly left their imprint. Wildlife passes near my studio windows at almost any time of day. Hawks and owls nest nearby. Tiny quail chicks scurry after their parents. Jack rabbits and cottontails skip from one bush to the next. Snakes slither out of their rocky hiding places, javelinas, coyotes and even an occasional bobcat amble through the cactus and brush in search of their next meal. It is a magnificent place for a wildlife artist.
Background
2020
- Awarded the President’s Award Signature/Associate for at their 50th Jubilee Exhibition of the Women Artists of the West at the Settlers West Gallery in Tucson, Arizona
- Juried into the Women Artists of the West organization joining a select group of approximately 350 women artists
2019
- International Guild of Realism 14th Annual juried art exhibit at Principle Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia
- Second Place Award “Art in Partnership” juried exhibit at Holland Arts Center, Scottsdale, Arizona
2018
- Juried into the International Guild of Realism exhibit at Sugarman-Peterson Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico
2017
- Awarded “Blick Art Materials” award – Northern Arizona Watercolor Society spring show in Sedona
- “First Place Award” for “Art in Partnership III” juried exhibit at Holland Art Center, Scottsdale
2016
- Arizona Art Alliance – selected for “Interpretations” exhibit
- Two paintings juried into West Valley Arts Council Exhibit
- Juried into Arizona Art Alliance exhibit “A Group Effort” – Chandler Art Center
- “Art in Partnership II” – juried into exhibit
2015
- Six of my paintings were selected for exhibition at The Gallery at el Pedregal in Carefree, AZ
- “Best of Show” award – Northern Arizona Watercolor Society exhibit in Sedona
2014
- Three paintings accepted for the juried exhibition sponsored by the West Valley Arts Council
- Hidden in the Hills Art Show – my eighth year in this show
2013
- International Guild of Realism juried exhibition at Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, AZ
- Received “Best of Show” and “First Place” at Gold Rush Days in Wickenburg, AZ.
- Awarded “Honorable Mention” in Northern Arizona Watercolor Society Juried Spring Show in Sedona, AZ
- Scottsdale Artist’s School Juried Exhibition at Phoenix Northern Trust Bank
2012
- Awarded the “Artist’s Award” at the Wickenburg, Arizona Fine Arts Festival.
- Acceptance in the Arizona Watercolor Association’s Juried Spring Show
- Hidden in the Hills Art Show – my sixth year in this unique show.
- Two of my paintings “Show Time” and “Peeking Through the Palms” were featured in Southwest Artmagazine’s November, 2012 issue.
2011 – 2008
- Received “Artist’s Award” at the Wickenburg Arizona Fine Arts Festival.
- Received award in Annual Northlight Books Cover Contest
Juried Memberships
- Women Artists of the West
- International Guild of Realism
- Sonoran Art League
- Arizona Art Alliance
- Northern Arizona Watercolor Society