When I seek inspiration in my writing and painting, I'm drawn to nature and animals. I prefer interesting, fresh metaphors in my writing, and I love it when my painting contains a suggestion or impression of something beyond the obvious. It's the best feeling ever when someone is entertained and inspired by my work.

 

I have a rich and varied background in formal education, having taught grades K-college. I helped to create a private elementary school in Virginia and served as its principal for six years before joining the professionals at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for a fulfilling second career in wildlife conservation education.

 

I earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Richmond, Virginia, a masters degree in science education from the University of Virginia, and a doctorate in organization and human resource development from Colorado State University, but, as Mark Twain so aptly put it, "I swear I never let all that education interfere with my learning along the way."

 

I enjoyed a long career in wildlife conservation and was fortunate to receive numerous national awards. My greatest professional achievement was creating the prestigious National Conservation Leadership Institute in 2004, serving as its Executive Director until 2014 when I retired. I learned an important principle during that time, "If you're not standing in your purpose, you're standing in someone else's." I took that principle to heart after I retired and began to write and paint "like a crazy lady." 

 

I'm a member of the Virginia Watercolor Society and currently serve as President of the highly regarded Bon Air Artists Association. I am also a member of the James River Writers. 

 

"Besides my children and grandchildren, nothing in my life has fulfilled me as much as painting and writing-- it's given new meaning to the term 'soul food."