I was born in California in 1954 and attended the University of Southern California, Los Angeles where I earned a B.A. in Public Relations. I then entered the world of big business and corporations, a career that spanned more than three decades. I worked for several industry leaders including Electronic Data Systems (an HP company) and IBM. I was a major contributor and entrepreneurial leader in the following areas: business strategy and execution, product launches and marketing and promotions –  all with an emphasis on growing business with sustainable client satisfaction.

 

My specialty in the corporate world was in growing underperforming business units. With a keen ability to forecast trends to locate opportunities, blended with strategic instincts and hands-on operational leadership, I grew business for my corporate employers every quarter of every year of my career. These skills were applied to the following industries: travel and hospitality, financial services, telecommunications, retail, healthcare, energy and government.

 

On a day no one will forget, September 11th, 2001, my husband Tom, the love of my life, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Three years later he passed away and my life was forever changed. At the same time, as the global financial crisis intensified, I left corporate America and began to create a new life for myself. Now with time to travel, I began to explore different cultures and learned to see deeply into these foreign worlds through my photographs and sketches. I also spent some time studying art at the Ahh Haa Art School in Telluride, Colorado where, surrounded by the most incredible beauty of the San Juan Mountains, I met some very inspiring people and painted some spectacular landscapes.

 

While taking art classes I was drawn to the work of Alfred Sisley and Claude Monet who inspired my own drawings and paintings. I even copied several of their works for myself. My own painting style might be called “architectural impressionism.” I have always enjoyed the beauty and simplicity of the impressionist art movement – it is a wonderful way to see the world.

 

Today, as an impressionist painter inspired by the beauty seen while traveling the world, my subjects are very meaningful to me. My paintings invoke beautiful memories of the magnificent places I have visited and they are each infused with my feelings of the place. Today, I continue to find inspiration in my travels that fuels creative thought, appreciation of beauty and the humor found in the social world – all of which I strive to channel into my paintings.