My Story

I owe my love for art to my mother, the creative one in our family. She could make art out of anything. I remember painting shells when we were very young and her playing the piano as we sang along. I took 4 years of art in high school and began my college career as an art major. Alas, my art dreams had to be put on hold and more practical aspirations took center stage when my husband and I started a family. I switched my major to education. After all, I could have a steady income and share my love for art with children. Research shows that children grow cognitively through art. I'm very practical when it comes to decision making, but the dreamer inside of me never goes away.

My career in education as a teacher and principal came to an end when I made the very tough decision to retire due to health issues caused by stress, a lack of time and energy at the end of the day to take care of myself, and a lack of sleep. Several years after retiring I decided to take an oil painting class with my mom at our local library with an amazing teacher. I had always shied away from paint, even as an art major. Sketching was my thing. But mom wanted us to do something fun together, so I went to these classes for about 7 months under the instruction of an exceptional teacher. It was there that I realized how much I loved oil painting and of course visiting with others who enjoyed painting as much as me. I found that I loved every part of the painting process, from mixing it to the satisfaction of signing it. I loved it all. So here I am, forever a student of the paint striving to fulfill my mission in life. I learn from every painting I do and hope to continue for many years to come. So this is me: a teacher, a student, a dreamer, gifted, and obedient to the call to create.

• M. Ed. in Educational Leadership

• Member of the Terrebonne Parish Fine Arts Guild

• Member of the Art Guild of Louisiana

• Juried acceptance for exhibition at The Imperial Calcasieu Museum Gift Shop in Lafayette

• Art Guild of Louisiana National River Road Show during the 70th Jubilee, juried acceptance

• Located in Houma, Louisiana

• 2 years as an art major at Nicholls State University

• Gale LeCompte - oil painting technique, composition, color theory

• Tim Packer “Mastering the Business of Being an Artist” and “Color and Composition”

• Art Storefronts - marketing and tech

• Larry Downs - composition and drawing

• Jan Wilken “Creating Movement and Texture with Acrylic Paint”

• Several classes with Milan Art Institute and 2 months of mentoring

• Matt Tommey "Artist Cashflow Bootcamp”

• Art Nxt Level Pro Membership with Sergio Gomez, MFA

Unlock the secrets of line, shape, space, and value to add depth and emotion to your work.
This book not only guides you through the technical concepts needed to create great art but also provides practice ideas.

Click the image below to purchase my latest book!