As a very young child I enjoyed drawing, painting, and anything I could create with, it came naturally to me. Both my parents, who are artistically inclined, have always encouraged me to pursue my passion.
Our summer adventures growing up are my fondest childhood memories. They were spent swimming, snorkeling, clamming, fishing, “treasure hunting”, and camping at the beach! Fresh clams that we dug with our feet, mussels we picked, and crabs we caught all from the Shinnecock Bay along with the fish my Dad would spear while scuba diving in the Shinnecock Inlet were typical summer dinners and amazing camping dinners!
When not at the beach during the summer we were always playing in the woods, crafting bow and arrows, picking blueberries, playing house, riding our bikes or we were helping out with the huge vegetable garden. No matter what season it was we were always going to the beach, playing or working outside! As a young child my parents told me that I was born on the beach and I believed them, even told everyone I knew…I was so bummed out when years later I figured out they were joking with me!
My passion and inherited artistic abilities was my avenue to shine in school. I was always involved with anything to do with art; extra art classes, painting scenery for plays, painting murals in the hallways, drawings and photographs for school magazines, photo editor for the yearbook committee and taking commissions to paint friends' clothing with their favorite music album art pretty much sums up kindergarten through twelfth grade.
I would get mad at all the students in art classes that were messing around. I must have left a lasting impression on one of those students who I really despised…he is now my husband and father of our three beautiful children! Although being accepted into many highly accredited art schools I chose to stay in Hampton Bays and attend Southampton College, Long Island University which was about eight miles from my home. I received an awesome college education and experience all while living in this beautiful area.
Throughout all of my school years I was fortunate enough to receive many awards, special privileges, and scholarships as an artist. I graduated in 1992 from Long Island University at Southampton College cum laude with a B.F.A. in Fine Arts & Photography. During my college education I received Southampton College Continuing Fine Art Student Scholarship 1989, 1990, & 1991; Southampton College Master Art Workshop Scholarship 1989 & 1990; Southampton College Master Photography Workshop Scholarship 1990; Liquitex Excellence in Art University Award 1992.
After graduating I was married in 1993 to that pain in the ass, Larry, from art class who became and still is my best friend! Throughout my college years and several after I worked in a couple of local garden centers, until Larry and I had our first child in 1997. My creative process involves so much of me mentally, emotionally, and physically that after having our first child in 1997 until around 2005 I purposely withdrew myself from much of my art work to focus on being a devoted mom.
Larry and I have three beautiful, amazing, compassionate, and vivacious children who are growing up in Hampton Bays while enjoying many of the same activities I did while growing up! Once my youngest child was four years old and her brother and sister were in school I took the opportunity to start creating more. Artist, photographer, artisan, and treasure hunter! I work with many different mediums, oil, acrylic, watercolor, photography, pen & ink,. are a few of my favorites. I often walk or paddle the shorelines of Eastern Long Island taking photographs, drawing, collecting driftwood, beach glass, shells, and even "trash" to use in my art work.
Many of the photographs that I take are used in a multi - medium process that I have developed which combines photography, watercolor, pen & ink, pencil and a few other variants of drawing to obtain results that many have called serene, peaceful, and comforting. Some have even described the work as having a spiritual quality.
While helping clean up our shorelines I am putting in motion my creative process, collecting objects to use in my work, obtaining photographs from places most people do not venture to, getting exercise, and clearing my mind...Wow I sure do have an awesome job!!!
