These amazing women in my life -- plus my step-daughters and granddaughters who are not in the photo -- inspire me with their love, their creativity, their courage in the face of adversity, and their unique senses of humor. I originally followed my passion for women's issues because I wanted to forge an easier pathway for my daughters -- one that encouraged them to be all they could be. Well, they have all done that in different ways and hold my feet to the fire when I am tempted to be less.

In my mid-60s, I enrolled in a drawing class at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. It was the first time in ages that I had chosen to do something just for myself. The young instructor challenged us to explore MANY ways of capturing images and expressing ourselves.-- my explorations in pencil, charcoal, and ink, led to painting, and ultimately to intaglio and lithography. I completed a 2nd bachelor's degree in Studio Art with an emphasis on printmaking in 2004. It was empowering to think of myself as a "Print Maker," but I still hesitate to call myself an artist.

During 2011 I discovered "pyrography" -- burned images -- and have been enchanted with what I can create with a hot pen on wood, paper, and other surfaces. Along the way I explored oil paints and colored pencils more fully and have recently (2018 on) been focusing on watercolor pencils (in combination with oil-based colored pencils).  

After being a contented, self-sufficient, independent widow for 7 years, I surprised myself -- and everyone else who knew me -- by deciding to share the "autumn" of my life with an old friend from my high school days. We married in 2004, and I acquired a new, second "home town" -- Kimberling City, MO. Joining the Table Rock Art Guild (TRAG) later that year was a turning point in my journery along the Artist's Way. I had no access to a printing press there, so I took a water color workshop from Karen Deeds, followed by an acrylic class with Marjorie Peterson -- two local artists and fellow members of TRAG. They both showed me new ways to look at things and encouraged me to just keep painting. I was brave enough to publically share my work at the TRAG Gallery in 2010 and enjoy keeping a panel of my latest work on display there. In Fall 2012, I "bit the bullet" and was a participating artist at the annual TRAG Festiva of Art. The results were somewhat bittersweet --I was pleased that some of my work sold (A Family Affair and a small oil of a Kauai Lighthous), but felt like I was losing some of my "children"!