Growing up, drawing (especially horses) was one of my favorite hobbies. Knowing that I wanted a career in something creative, I went on to minor in Studio Art while earning my degree in Graphic Arts Production at San Jose State University. After working as a Graphic Designer for several years, I became a full-time mom and took up watercolor painting as a creative escape. After a few years, I tried out oil painting for the first time since college, realized how much I loved it, and haven’t looked back.
Images that attract me the most to paint are natural scenes that have interesting light – from reflections on water, to dramatic effects from late day sunlight, or any scene that includes an old barn. I often work from photos of my travels around California, Europe, and Central America, and also enjoy painting en plein air (outside from life). In the studio, I typically start with an underpainting, a technique used by the old masters, which first establishes the tonal values and areas of contrast, and it also unifies the whole painting while adding a vibrancy when it peeks through the colors added above it.