I am a mom of 3, a photographer, a painter with oil & thread, a student of my surroundings.

Over the past few years I have been exposed to a world that I am not used to, a world that I have now become a part of.  After living in the suburbs of Northern Virginia for most of my childhood and early adult life, I have moved to the country, and have fallen in love with the simplicity of life.  This is a place where people work with their own hands, and their hands show the proof of their hard work.

My process is simple I look at my surroundings and become inspired by the colors, by the landscape, the animals, the energy of those surrounding me, my children running through the fields. I take photos of the objects and people that draw me to them. I paint with oils or watercolor, and add charcoal to the memories from everyday life that fade into something beautiful screaming to be remembered onto canvas and fabric. In my photography NOTHING is changed about the placement of the objects or the people, and the lighting is natural.  It is a snap shot of a moment that can never be repeated and the placement of an object that has become forever frozen in time.  That is the beauty of the photograph.  One second of my life is now shared with everyone, for a moment you are able to see how I see.  I will share with you the joy, sorrow, poverty, and hard work. In my painting and embroidery EVERYTHING is changed, you see the colors that I remember, the colors that I am in love with, the colors that surround me on a daily basis…the colors and landscape that I long to have surround me.  

Take what you will from my work, but for me it shows simplicity, a way of life that is being forgotten. It is a life without television.  A life without Internet.  It is a life full of tools, a life were you get your hands dirty, a life full of books, a life full of learning. A life full of nurturing and homeschooling my children. Family dinners around a table with a home cooked meal that starts with a prayer.  This is what surrounds me now, no longer the rush of the city, but the simplicity of the country; this is what I hope to show you in the study of my surroundings.

Shows & Awards

2014- February Regional Show Honorable Mention in Photography at Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA   2014- March “Shapes” Show, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA                                                               2015- November Regional Show, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA                                                       2015- December “The Power of Small” Honorable Mention in Photography at Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA                                                                                                                                                                     2016- February-April Show at the Community Bank of the Chesapeake, Fredericksburg, VA  2019- “All Photography” Juried National Exhibit, Frederick Gallery, Fredericksburg, VA 2019- “Up Close” Juried National Exhibit, Frederick Gallery, Fredericksburg, VA 2019- “Artist Choice”Juried Exhibit, Frederick Gallery, Fredericksburg, VA 2019-”Geometrics”Juried Exhibit, Frederick Gallery, Fredericksburg, VA 2020-"Artist Choice”Juried Exhibit, Frederick Gallery, Fredericksburg, VA 2020- “Ethos: Spirit of Community”Juried National Exhibit, Frederick Gallery, Fredericksburg, VA 2021- “All Photography” Juried National Exhibit, Frederick Gallery, Fredericksburg, VA   

more dates coming soon! I have to look back at my show resume