About
You know, probably the greatest compliment I ever received as an artist was not really about my art at all. Or maybe it was about what is behind my art. A friend of mine told me “I like to hike with you because you see things other people don’t see.” When I started out as an artist, I did not think about that. I thought everyone could see what I saw. Maybe they just don’t notice. Maybe they are too busy. Maybe they are thinking about something else. When I go on a hike, it takes me longer than most people. It is not that I can’t hike faster. It is just that there are so many amazing things to see. I want to capture them all, to remember them, to share them with my friends and family and others. I take SO many pictures. I really do. I feel God’s pleasure when I take pleasure in His creation. When I am out in nature, when I am seeing and experiencing things, I feel connected to God. Sometimes when I look back at my pictures, they are not quite as bright or beautiful as my memory of them. It makes me really want to paint them, so others can see what I saw. So they can appreciate God’s creation. The creation of the landscape, the plants, the animals, the experience of it. The sounds, the smells, the coolness of the breeze or the heat of the sun. I want them to feel that too. That has to be part of the painting. Could I help others connect with God in this way too, in a way they may not otherwise connect with Him? I do not mean to think that my art has that kind of power, that would be ostentatious, beyond thinking. But could it, in some way, help people notice God? Notice His creativity? See what they otherwise may not notice? I have lived in Arizona for 18 years, with my wonderful husband and our four amazing kids have largely grown up here. I spend every moment I can outside. I hike as much as possible. I love off-roading, exploring new places. Every time I visit a new place, Instagram has 3 more for me to want to go to. I will never run out of material for new paintings! I am sometimes asked where I learned to draw and paint. I took drawing and painting and sculpture classes in college. And I got a technical degree in Photography and Graphic Design. I have worked in Photography and Graphic Design, and I love it, but I keep coming back to painting. I have also been a teacher for many years. I have taught art and music to Kindergarten through college students for 20 years or more. Teaching is an art in and of itself. It is such a blessing to get to encourage others, and help them find their voice, develop their skills and bring their art to life. It has been said that teachers teach because they cannot do. That is not true at all. Many teachers create and perform throughout their career. Teachers have such a passion for connecting through the arts that they feel led to teach others so that they too can experience that joy! Many teachers put their own career on hold so that they can teach because both take so much creative energy. Some teachers are lucky enough to have both, whether simultaneously or consecutively. Likewise almost every artist I know teaches. They can’t help it. They take so much joy in creating that they can’t help but share what they have learned with others. It is my hope that you will enjoy the art. That it will point you to the creator. That you will have many wonderful adventures of your own. And that you will have paintings that remind you of those adventures!