Growing up in New Bedford, Massachusetts, I enjoyed exposure to music, dance, drama and fine art. I have identified with the creative spirit since my earliest memories. Focusing on painting, I earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMASS-Dartmouth) and a Master of Fine Art degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. After living in the Chicago area for many years, I moved with my husband and daughter to Cape Cod and began to rediscover my roots.

Being primarily a still life painter, I am drawn to objects that I see as possessing a symbolic quality. Using these objects allows me to explore a range of themes, from the seasons to vanitas to autobiographical and narrative vignettes.

In regard to using shells as my subject, living on Cape Cod it is difficult to avoid being influenced by the natural surroundings. Here, ordinary shells become icons. The natural thing to do is to use them as subject matter. Doing so has anchored me and my work here for now.