I’m in love with oil painting—the lush texture, the scent of pigment, and the quiet glide of my brush across the canvas. Painting is a deeply fulfilling way to give form to what inspires me and to pour my passion into color and light.

When inspiration strikes, a kaleidoscope of fragments from dreams, lived experience, and imagination converge. My twenty years as a dancer and costume maker have added an exotic element to some works, while surviving near-death experiences as an asthmatic left lingering impressions from “the other side” that influence mood, symbolism, and color. These and other forces have shaped my artistic perspective and guided my work.

I feel profoundly fortunate to be alive, and my love of life fuels my desire to create.

I moved to the Mexican village of Ajijic in 2010, and the beauty of life here on Lake Chapala had a profound influence on my art. It inspired me to express the spirit of my subjects as I imagine them to be rather than to simply replicate realistic forms.

In the sanctuary of my gardens and studio, I don't have to think about what or how to paint; inspiration just comes. When I wake up to the sound of wind chimes and birdsongs, I can't wait to get to work. A golden bird, butterflies and blossoms, peacocks and pangolins, and mermaids in exotic landscapes. I paint in the style of magical realism, which seems an ironic homage to the magical thinking of childhood that lingers in my imagination.

I paint every work of art with loving intention, knowing that someday an unknown person will feel an inexplicable connection and claim it as their own. That art becomes a treasured heirloom that carries with it the memory of its origins and the story of its journey through time as it passes into the hands of a new generation.

Art, like love, is forever. And so it is that I say, My art is love.