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I was born and raised in a small town in northern Maine. There I cultivated a love of nature
and a passion for flora and fauna. From my mother I learned grace and a great appreciation of music; from
my father I learned a love of nature and the countryside. I spent many hours walking through the
fields and woods near my home and nearby lakes. Little did I know that those experiences would come into my life
again through my painting and writing endeavors.
I like to think of my writings as plain songs, free of encumbrance and full of corresponding musicality. Music accompanies all my life, a gift from my mother who was a classically trained pianist. She could also play popular music by ear. |
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I started painting 30 years ago, working with oils. In juried shows, I received several
awards for my work. My creative abilities followed into my professional life with photography, writing and graphic design skills.
In 2003, my husband and I bought our first home. Until then, I had painted in kitchens, basements, and living room corners. Now I have a studio of my own. I surround myself with all the things that stimulate my creativity: music, paintings, photos, and personal trinkets. Our backyard is lovely: tall, stately oaks framing a marsh and pond. There are many beds for flowers which delight and soothe me. When I work I am in another world full of excitement and delight. When illness forced me to re-focus my life, I turned to the creative crafts I had learned along the way. In 2007, I wrote a book called A Vexation of the Spirit: One Woman's Journey with Multiple Chronic Illnesses. The book was a cathartic experience for me and gave me the courage to continue writing. In the spring opf 2009, I began writing prose poems that suited my need to be both creative and musical. I get a great deal of enjoyment from writing these "songs." Today I paint in watercolors after studies in oil, acrylics, and pastel. Painting and writing is like viewing the world through a kaleidoscope. Each work I do, be it a poem or painting, is an adventure in music. When I create, I am in another world, full of excitement and delight. I strive to see the essence of a scene, a flower, or a memory; then my job is to present the subject in the simplest way possible. It all works for me. The joy of creating is, for me, the delight of capturing my subject and transforming it on the paper into something sensitive and beautiful. I may not always succeed but when I do it is glorious. |