I am a dreamer fascinated by stories. Almost all of my work whether still life or figurative revolves around that sense of story. A moment, frozen in time, invites the viewer to create a mental before and after.

That love of story began long ago when my mother taught me to love books. As a child, summer meant one thing: freedom to read all I could get my hands on. Illustrations were important to me, not to provide an imagination, but to provoke one. Before long, stories meant visual pictures and visual pictures meant stories.

I drew and painted my way through highschool inspired as always by the visual story embedded in concepts and emotions. At Pensacola Christian College, I majored in art and gained the skills to better tell those stories. Perhaps the most unexpected influence on my career as an artist, however, was a local summer job here in Humboldt County.

I worked in housekeeping at Eureka's Best Western on 5th Street the summer of '02. It was hard work, the kind that reminds you that you have been working even after you get home. Nothing "artistic" about it either! But it was not all drudgery. As I cleaned the rooms, I found ways to make the day interesting and fun either by timing myself to beat my pace—or by playing Sherlock Holmes. When freshening up for a stayover, we were not to touch any personal belongings but to simply tidy around them. I discovered then how much our personal items say about ourselves. The game would begin by guessing one person or two, then male or female, next age, then occupation, then reason for visit. Granted, the guesses were never validated, but the idea would resurface down the road.

Several years later, while earning my MFA, I began exploring my personal muse in art; but the muse eluded me. During that time, I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to teach art classes at the college. There is nothing like the joy of enabling someone to achieve their dreams—or to reach beyond those dreams. For over three years, I was blessed to work with students in drawing, design, calligraphy, and yearbook classes. Toward the end of my graduate years, the muse finally awoke. The sense of community built by working with students, the sense of story found in personal articles, the sense of romance in everyday life all came together bit by bit. I discovered the genre that I call my "story still lifes" or my "portrait still lifes." These works tell a story by objects and arrangements rather than through the depiction of figures and action. The stories may be simple or complex. I may or may not know the details. Most of the time, I am only an observer along with everyone else.

Now working in Northern California, I continue daily to grow as an artist and teach new students the joy of art. I work as a framer at Michaels--where local art comes to me in a neverending gallery! I am a member of the Redwood Art Association and have participated in local art events such as Eureka's ArtsAlive!, Arts Arcata, and North Coast Open Studios. I look forward to meeting other artists and art enthusiasts here in Humboldt County as we together read aloud the story of Life.