Artist’s Statement

As I grew up I loved our family visits to my grandfather's apartment in Chicago. The smell of oil paints and turpentine, and his many pieces of art hung salon-style in his living room captivated me each time we stopped by. My parents always encouraged creativity, and I was fortunate enough to attend The American Academy of Art in Chicago in the early '70s. In addition to studying under accomplished teachers, I was also invited to work on staff as an assistant in the Academy's photography department.

Upon graduation I became a commercial artist at the Emmett J. Newman Studio in Chicago's Loop on Wabash Street, then worked as a free-lance illustrator for newspaper articles, books, magazines and advertising agencies.

My most rewarding project was revising and illustrating a literacy primer while I, my husband and two sons worked overseas in Pakistan for ten years. After returning from abroad, I began to study oil painting in the Cincinnati area. Currently, I am a Signature Member of the Cincinnati Art Club, a member of the Greenacres Artists' Guild, am represented in Cincinnati by the Eisele Gallery of Fine Art, and work full-time as a fine artist - both taking commissions and creating my own works of art.