The first time I stopped to really look at a watercolor painting was in my first year of art school. In an introduction to Watercolor class, the teacher talked about painting watercolor landscapes, then turned out the lights and clicked through slides of his work. I remember feeling like I was being pushed back into my chair as each new slide lit up the screen…they had so much power. It was the glow...the transparency! I was hooked on watercolor right then and there.

I studied painting that year at Paier School of Art in New Haven, Connecticut and then for a year at Coronado School of Fine Art in San Diego. I finished my studies at Philadelphia College of Art majoring in design. While making my living as a designer for forty years, I continued to study, learn and kept painting with watercolor.

I've taken workshops with some incredible painters and learned so much from them. I'd like to thank; Ken Potter, Milford Zornes, Henry Fukuhara, Frank Webb, Don O'Neill, Frank Francese, Christopher Schink, Skip Lawrence, Karen Frey and Robert Landry. (I studied with Robert while I was a student in San Diego, only to find out some time later that he and my mother had been classmates at Abbott School of Art (Washington D.C.) in the 1940s!)

I owe a special thanks to Ken Potter for all of his help and advice. I met Ken in 1989 and took workshops with him a number of times. We became friends over the years and he would invite me to go out and paint with him. He was a great mentor and pushed me to learn and to enter my work into shows. Thanks Ken!

Teaching
I've been teaching watercolor classes for more than nine years; first in Mill Valley and now at Falkirk Cultural Center in San Rafael, Corte Madera and Belvedere Community Centers. I really enjoy teaching, sharing what I've learned and helping others to learn about watercolor and painting/drawing. Another great thing about teaching...is that it keeps you on your toes...thinking, planning and preparing classes is energizing! You can read more about my teaching experience and classes here.

In March of 2020, as we were not able to teach indoors, I started a blog to stay in touch with my students and share information with them. As I learned (thanks Birgit!) how to get video onto it, it became a wonderful teaching tool.

In 2020, I was invited to be the guest artist with a wonderful group of painters, the BayWood Artists. This group of professional painters has been together for 27 years. Each year they (we) partner with a non-profit involved with environmental work. We then paint together 'en plein air' through the Spring and Summer and then have a show and sale in the Fall over a long weekend. At the end of the show, we donate half of the proceeds to our partner to help them continue their work and bring awareness to Bay Area environmental causes. At the end of the 2020 show, they elected me to become a member, a very proud moment!

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Juried and Group Shows

Belvedere Tiburon Library Gallery Show, Color Voices Soft+Loud, 2024

BayWood Artists Show, 2023

Falkirk Cultural Center, A Gathering of Color Show, 2023

Toby's Barn Gallery, Point Reyes CA, Winter Show, 2023

Belvedere Tiburon Library Gallery Show, 'Contemporary Watercolors', 2023

California Watercolor, Members Show, San Ramon, 2023 - Honorable Mention

Belvedere Tiburon Library Gallery Show, 'Music', 2023

California Watercolor, Members Show, Corte Madera, 2023

Juried the Show, 'Summer' for Marin Society of Artists - 2023

Northern Caliornia Arts, Black & White Show, Sacramento, 2023

Marin County Watercolor Society, Members Show, 2023

Sausalito Center for the Arts, Spring Show, 2023

California State Fair, Annual Show, 2023

California Watercolor, Signature Members Show, 2023 - Honorable Mention

Belvedere Tiburon Library Gallery Show, 'Watercolor!', 2023

California Watercolor, 54th National Exhibition, Award 10 of 20, 2023

Belvedere Tiburon Library Gallery Show, 'Color!', 2023

BayWood Artists Show, 2022

California Watercolor, Members Show, Brentwood, 2022

Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Members Show, 2022

WASH Sacramento, Members Show, Honorable Mention, 2022

Northern California Arts, Members Show, Best in Show, 2022

WASH Sacramento, Members Show, Honorable Mention, 2022

California Watercolor, Members Show, Walnut Creek, 2022

Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael, AMUSE Show, 2022

California Watercolor, Members Show, San Ramon, 2022 - Honorable Mention

Northern California Arts, Bold Expressions Show, 2022

California Watercolor, 53rd National Exhibition, Award 16 of 18, 2022

California Watercolor, Members Show, San Rafael, 2022

El Cerrito Art Assoc., Annual Show, First Place, 2022

Artworks Downtown, Small Works Show, San Rafael, 2022

BayWood Artists Show, 2021

Yosemite Renaissance Show, Yosemite Museum, 2021

Marin County Watercolor Society & Marin Society of Artists Show, 2020 - First Place

California Watercolor, Members Show, Honorable Mention, 2020

California Watercolor, Members Show, 2021

WASH Sacramento Show, Honorable Mention, 2021

Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Trees Show, 2021

Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Black Show, 2021

Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Members Show, 2021

Northern California Arts, Members Show, Honorable Mention, 2021

Elk Grove Center for the Arts Annual Show, 2021

WASH Sacramento Show, Honorable Mention, 2021

California Watercolor, Members Show, 2021

Northern California Arts, Members Show, Honorable Mention, 2021

Watercolor West, Annual Exhibition, 2021

California Watercolor, 52nd National Exhibition, 2021

Santa Cruz Art League, Annual Show, 2021

BayWood Artists Show - (Guest Artist), 2020

Solo Show - Dominican University Library Atrium, 2020

Harrington Gallery, Pleasanton, CA - Art in Place Exhibit, 2020

Marin Watercolor Society, Group Exhibit, Marin Civic Center, 2020

Marin Watercolor Society & Marin Society of Artists, 2020 - First Place

Harringtonn Gallery, Pleasanton, CA - Fresh Works Juried Exhibit, 2020

WASH Juried Members Exhibit, "Awash" 2020 - Sacramento, CA

Sacramento Fine Arts Center - Magnum Opus Exhibit, 2020 - Sacramento, CA

Danville Village Gallery - Affordable Art Exhibit, 2019 - Danville, CA

California Watercolor, Juried Member Exhibit, 2019 - Third Place - Walnut Creek, CA

Marin County Fair, 2019 Plein Air Competition - Merit Award

Marin County Fair, 2019 6 x 6 Category - Honorable Mention

California Watercolor, Member Exhibit, 2019 - Honorable Mention- San Ramon, CA

California Watercolor, Member Exhibit, 2019 - Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael, CA

WASH Juried Exhibit, Go With the Flow, 2019 - Judges Award- Sacramento, CA

WASH Juried Exhibit, Go With the Flow, 2019 - Award of Merit - Sacramento, CA

Napa Town & County Fair, 2019, Napa, CA - Special Award

Danville Village Gallery - Into the Blue Exhibit, 2019 - Danville, CA

California Watercolor, Member Exhibit, 2019 - Honorable Mention - Danville, CA

Harringtonn Gallery, Pleasanton, CA - Fresh Works Exhibit, 2019

California Watercolor, Member Exhibit, 2018 - San Ramon, CA

Napa Town & County Fair, 2018, Napa, CA - Award of Merit

California Watercolor, Member Show, 2018 - Dominican University, CA

Watercolor Artists of Sacramento – Go With the Flow Show, 2018

Marin County Fair, 2018 Marvelous Marin Category - Honorable Mention

Marin County Fair, 2018 Small Works Category - First Place

Marin County Fair, 2018 Plein Air Competition - Honorable Mention

Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition, 2018, Waitsfield, Vermont

Cerulean Arts 6th Annual Juried Exhibition, 2018, Philadelphia, PA

California Watercolor, Member Exhibit, 2018 - San Ramon, CA

Falkirk Cultural Center, Fall Juried Show, 2018, San Rafael, CA

Rhode Island Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibit, 2017

Northern California Arts, Inc. Bold Expressions Juried Exhibit, 2017

Watercolor Artists of Sacramento – WASH Juried Exhibit, 2017 - Honorable Mention

Falkirk Cultural Center, Fall Juried Show, 2017 - Honorable Mention

Marin County Fair, 2017 Plein Air Competition - Honorable Mention

Marin County Fair, 2017 Art Exhibit Juried Show

California Watercolor, Member Exhibit, 2017 - San Ramon, CA

California Watercolor, Member Exhibit, 2017 - Brentwood, CA

California Watercolor, Member Exhibit, 2016 - Honorable Mention

Valley Art Center, Cleveland, Ohio, En Plein Air Juried Exhibit, 2016

Northern California Arts, Inc. Bold Expressions Juried Exhibit, 2016

Falkirk Cultural Center, Fall Juried Show, 2016

Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Juried Member Exhibition, 2016

Watercolor Artists of Sacramento – WASH Juried Exhibit, 2016 - Honorable Mention 

Watercolor Artists of Sacramento – Magnum Opus Show, 2016

Marin County Fair, 2016 Art Exhibit Juried Show - Honorable Mention

Falkirk Cultural Center, Spring Juried Show, 2016

Marin County Fair, 2015 Art Exhibit Juried Show

Marin County Fair, 2014 Art Exhibit Juried Show

Watercolor Artists of Sacramento – Magnum Opus Show, 2014

California Watercolor, Annual National Exhibition 2014, - Salis International Award

Marin County Fair, 2013 Art Exhibit Juried Show

Watercolor Artists of Sacramento – Magnum Opus Show, 2010 - Award of Excellence

National Watercolor Society All Member Juried Exhibit, 2010

Northwest Watercolor Society Annual National Exhibition, 2010

MarinScapes - Fundraising Show, 2010

Southern Colorado Watercolor Society Aquarius National Exhibit, 2010

Watercolor West National Exhibition, 2009 - Holbein Award

California Watercolor, Annual National Exhibition 2007

Louisiana Watercolor Society 18th Annual Exhibition, New Orleans




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