What is your personal artistic motto or mission in a sentence or two?

“Embrace the beauty around you and capture it on canvas!”

What are three words that describe your style?

Colorful, Realistic and Broad-spectrum

Where are you coming from and how did you start your artistic journey?

I never had any formal art training and didn’t start painting until I was 60 years old…proving that you are never too old to start something you love!  My serendipitous moment occurred when I went on a trip to Italy with some artists back in 2014.  They encouraged me to create and after a year of honing my sketching skills, I started taking watercolor classes at the Workhouse Art Center in Lorton, VA.  I’ve been painting ever since.

What inspires you to create? What holds you back?

I love to bring the beauty of the outside “in” through my paintings.  Whether it is a landscape, an animal or a flower, I want the viewer to make a connection with what I have painted.

What is your favorite piece you have created or favorite art experience, and why?

My favorite piece is “Braving the Storm,” a large painting of an American Bison that I based on a photo I took when traveling through Wyoming a number of years ago.  I chose to make it a winter scene to convey the strength and endurance of these noble beasts. Bisons are truly representative of the American spirit.

Tell us something positive that has happened to you in the last month?

I have been truly grateful to have sold several pieces of art in the last few months, and have been able to show my art through several juried art shows throughout Virginia this past year.  My art has also been featured on banners in historic downtown Manassas.

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