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Growing up in Jacksonville, Illinois, I remember as a child always wanting to draw. It was a wonderful pastime and gave me pleasure in entering contests where I was recognized for my ability to draw.
After graduation I moved to Chicago in pursuit of an art career at the Art Institute of Chicago, but being tall and thin, I found myself swept into the world of fashion. Growing up dancing and teaching dance during my teen years, it was as easy for me to move in front of a camera as it was for me to breathe. In 1988 a friend and I started “Model Image Center Inc.” which my friend is still operating to this day.
After all those years… moving to Arizona in 2002 gave me the opportunity to do what I started in Chicago – devote my time to art. The first two years I did nothing but draw because I knew I needed practice and to gain back what I had lost. When I felt I was ready to start painting, I started my first class in Scottsdale not knowing what paints and brushes to use or even how to begin a painting!
I enjoy watching people and animals, their actions and reactions to the environment around them. Always carrying my camera with me where ever I go. I want to seek and capture their emotion, looking into the eyes. What are they thinking? What do they want? What is their character? Even though the animals can’t talk, I want to convey what the animals are saying because they do speak a very loud universal language. I find as much emotion in my animal portraits as I do in my human faces.