Born and raised in the Bay Area I’ve always dabbled in drawing and painting from a very young age.  Moving to the east coast in my late teens I studied watercolors at the Gibbs Art Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina.  The colorful row houses, hidden gardens and beautiful charm of the city furthered my desire to capture landscapes I so enjoyed.  Moving back home to California in the mid 1980’s, I relocated to the Napa Valley and continued to work on my painting skills with various local classes offered.  Always feeling a connection to the water, I landed in Vallejo living along the Carquinez Straits.  The natural light and ever-changing water scenes fuel my creativity.  I started experimenting with oil paint a few years ago and found a richness and texture I couldn’t capture with watercolors.  I place chips of Andara Crystals into my oil paintings.