about
I think of my garden as my second studio as I spend a great deal of time within it researching and photographing plants that grow there as well as insects that live in or visit the area. As a child I was always interested in nature, particularly forested habitats, and that interest has carried through to my adulthood. When my husband and I moved into our house about twenty years ago I decided to create a woodland area in our 1/5 acre yard of barren lawn (minus the house footprint). I began the project by planting small to medium sized native species of trees scattered throughout the property and then gradually added woodland perennials and shrubs each year as the trees developed. The trees have since grown rather tall and the area is now shady and filled with mature shade loving ferns, spring ephemerals and other flowering plants native to woodlands in the mid-Atlantic region where I live. I invested a great deal of effort to create my woodland and we are now fortunate to have many insects that utilize our flora for food and shelter. Mammalian wildlife is limited due to the small garden size but it is enjoyable to see a fox wander through, resident and migrating birds nest and rabbits make our garden their home. Although I visit parks to see plants growing in their native environment for drawing inspiration living within my forested area, be it small, and noting the remarkable changes that occur through the seasons year after year gives me an intimate connection to a forested habitat. My yard will never replicate a pre-European natural woodland ecosystem but by supplying insects with pollen and nectar from flowers, host plants for caterpillars and a pesticide free outdoor area of dense plantings I have created a viable habitat for insects and small mammals and am awarded with a close encounter of my drawing subjects. I would not be able to create my current art without continual intense observation of changes and events happening in my planted woodland giving me exceptional insight into my subjects' life cycles and behavior. The richness of shapes, colors, patterns, textures and sounds contained in and emanating from my tiny forest inspired me to draw again after not having done so seriously for several years.
Education
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1994 UMCP BLA , Cum Laude
1979 MICA BFA - Painting, Summa Cum Laude
1976 CCBC AA - Painting, Honors
Awards
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2024 Grants for Artists, Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC)
2021 Independent Artist Award (IAA), Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC)
1994 Outstanding Senior - UMCP
Full Scholarship - Garden Clubs of America - UMCP
Half Scholarship - Garden Clubs of America - UMCP
Senatorial - MICA
Senatorial - MICA
Exhibitions
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2021, Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), A Free State: An Exhibition on In-
dependent Artists curated by Jack Rasmussen installed in the D/E Intern
ational Art Gallery at BWI Airport. ‘Bees Disappearing as Pollinators’, April 26 -
September 21, 2021.
Virtual Exhibitions
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2023, October 9 - November 30. National Art League, 92nd Annual Online
Juried Open Exhibition, ‘The Orange Acrobat - Back View’.
2023, August 1 - September 14. MidwestNice Art, tl;dr, ‘Interwoven Relation-
ships Between Phlox and Pollinators’.
2023, March 15 - April 14. Fusion Art, 5th Annual Into the Wild, ‘The Orange
Acrobat - Back View’.
2023, February 1 - April 1. MidwestNice Art, Mint Condition, ’The Orange Acr-
obat - Back View’.
2020, June 30 - August 31. Carroll County Arts Council, Quarantined: Creating
While Stuck, ‘Proud of Himself’.
2020, April 28 - June 1. Interwoven Relationships Between Phlox and
Pollinators’, The Baltimore County Arts Guild, Transcending the Quarantine -
Baltimore County, ‘Bees Disappearing as Pollinators’.
2020, April 5 - April 15. The Baltimore County Arts Guild, Transcending the
Quarantine - Catonsville, ‘Endearing Enthusiasm’; ‘Ryder’.
Private Collections
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My children and pet portraits are represented in several private collections.
2020, ’Proud of Himself’, Baltimore, MD
2020, ’Endearing Enthusiasm’, Baltimore, MD
2020, ’Croix’, Charlottesville, VA
2018, ’Lucy and Pogo’, Baltimore, MD
2018, ’Brothers Thunder and Caddy’, Arlington, VA
2017, ’Casey’, Santa Fe, NM
2017, ’Buddy’, Littlestown, PA
2017, ’Meena’, Baltimore, MD
2016, ’Ryder’, Baltimore, MD
2016, ’Inseparable Priscilla and Elvis’, Mt. Aire, MD
2015, ’Vikram’, Baltimore, MD
2014, ’Annie’, Ocean Pines, MD
2013, ’Bandit’, Ocean Pines, MD
2013, ’Rocky’, Baltimore, MD
Installments
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1995, Bear Branch Nature Center, Five Interpretive Trail Signs, Sykesville, MD.
1978, Pimlico Race Track, Mural, Baltimore, MD. (MICA mural class project per-
manently installed at Pimlico Race Track)
Links
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