Doing What I Love
I have always loved and admired artwork. I never believed that I had the talent to create. Many friends over the years encouraged me and told me that I had talents yet to be discovered. It wasn't until my husband, Jeff, and I started a photography studio that I began to learn the art of capturing true beauty, people in portraits. I had found something inside that made my heart sing, classic, heirloom portraits.
In 2019, I discovered a Portrait Artist that was going to begin teaching perpetual classes on turning portraits into true artwork through digital painting. I was intrigued and Jeff and I decided this was the next step for me. I dove right in studying her practices and techniques. I was hooked! I still am. I am now enjoying doing what I love to do.
After 34+ years of marriage the love of my life moved to heaven in April of 2023. My life has changed drastically, but his encouragement still lives on in my heart. With each painting I sit back and look and ask, "Would Jeff like it? Would he have advice and critique on ways to improve?" He will always be such an intricate part of what I do and I pray that every piece of art that I create gives homage to our love and his belief in me.
My beloved Jeff. He will always be inspiration in my mind and in my heart. Thoughts of him cause me to still dream and hope. He was my greatest cheerleader and my best critic always spurring me on to do my best. My greatest desire is to honor God and honor Jeff in all that I do and in all that I am. I pray I will be successful in fulfilling this desire every day of my life.
One of my favorite things he would say to me and about me when he was proud of my accomplishments was, "That's my girl." I can only try my best and hope they are both looking down at me now and saying..."That's My Girl!"
My Artist Style
While rooted in realism (faces, settings, and details are recognizable and true), my brushwork softens edges in a way that feels almost dreamlike. This balance gives my paintings both clarity and depth, while avoiding harshness. I want them to feel "lived-in," natural, personal, and comforting.
My Artist Statement
"My art is born out of story, not just what the eyes can see, but what the heart remembers and what the soul longs for. Each brushstroke is a prayer, each portrait a chapter, each painting an invitation to pause and reflect on the beauty, grief, and hope that weave together in life’s journey."
I work in a style of painterly realism, blending clarity with softness, always guided by light. Light is not only a visual tool for me, but a spiritual one, a symbol of presence, peace, and the faith that has carried me through both joy and loss. In every piece, I strive to capture the fleeting and transform it into something eternal.
My subjects, whether a quiet landscape, a child’s expression, or a figure caught in reflection, are never just images. They are stories: of grief carried, of love remembered, of wonder rediscovered. Many of my works are deeply personal, shaped by my own journey of loss and healing, and yet I hope they resonate universally, as reminders that God is present in every season, and that beauty can be found even in the wilderness.
Through both photography and painting, I seek to create not just art, but heirlooms of memory and meaning. My hope is that my work will comfort, inspire, and remind those who encounter it that every life, every moment, is part of a larger story — one that leads us back to God.