I am a working artist in Santa Cruz, California. I have my Bachelor’s degree in Art from San Jose State University with an emphasis in Textiles/Batik/Silk Painting. Watercolor has become the medium of choice to depict the many birds I so love. I also dabble in Nature Photography and have created a humorous greeting card line, Bearded Lady Greetings, featuring my very, hairy dog, Bella.
I grew up in a family where being creative was encouraged. Both parents were musicians. My father played the viola in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and was also a pianist. My mother took piano lessons from him; that is how they met. I remember 2 grand pianos filling our dining room in Hollywood, CA. They would play duets, teach piano lessons and my father would compose music there as well. He was quite a bit older than my MOM and passed away when I was 5 years old. My MOM, sister and I moved to the San Fernando Valley where I lived until I left for college.
I was terribly torn between MUSIC and ART when I went to San Jose State. But when push came to shove, I chose ART for my college degree. I loved all the experimentation but found my real direction when I started doing BATIK. BATIK is a resist process of using hot wax and dyes to create a design on fabric. The results are often unexpected, as the crackling of the wax can make or break a piece, but that is truly what got me hooked. Working with fabric is good for my soul.
My artwork was put on hold after the birth of our second child. There was not enough time in the day to do it all. Then about 12 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. During my chemotherapy, I had many moments of clarity and realized I deeply missed being creative. It was at that time I “came back home” so to speak, and began creating once again. During that time I became proficient with Photoshop and learned how to create greeting cards. I started with macro photography of butterflies, bees, even flies and printed the close-ups on NOTE CARDS. As I became more proficient with Photoshop, I started created fun and fabulous images with my dog, Bella, dressed up in a variety of holiday fare. My family would hear me laughing away as each creation gave me more pleasure than the last!
I recently came up with this very GREEN idea, to RE-USE GREETING CARDS. For a number of years, when I have sent someone a personal card, I have written my message on a post-it; I included a spare envelope. My hope was that the person receiving the card would remove the post-it and have a blank card and envelope to send to someone else. I have now created the RE-USEABLE GREETING CARD for PURCHASE. These can be any card of your choice, special ordered directly from me. Each card will have 6-8 Post-its' secured to the center of the inside for writing and 3 envelopes. I also include a HOW-TO as my idea is not as easy to explain as it is to understand once you have done it! I will also send additional envelopes and Post-its to anyone who e-mails me and wants to see their single card go around the world! That is my dream. I have not been able to figure out HOW to keep track of this or run a fun contest BUT I am putting it out to the Universe. I will entertain any and all ideas to further this goal, sort of like a message in a bottle of sorts! Cards are $3.25 each as a special promotion with a minimum of 10 cards. This includes shipping and can be paid to me through PayPal or mailed to me. My e-mail for PayPal and to contact me and tell me what cards you would like is: [email protected].
My framed work is currently on display at Scotts Valley Artisans in Scotts Valley, CA. and Nautical Treasures in Downtown Santa Cruz, CA. in their upstairs GALLERY. My Greeting Cards are on display at Paper Vision in Downtown Santa Cruz, The Garden Company and VCA Animal Hospital both on the Westside of Santa Cruz, Amphora in Carmel, CA. and Miss Trawick's Garden in Pacific Grove, CA.
Previously my work has been on display at a wide variety of locations, most notably at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park.
I grew up in a family where being creative was encouraged. Both parents were musicians. My father played the viola in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and was also a pianist. My mother took piano lessons from him; that is how they met. I remember 2 grand pianos filling our dining room in Hollywood, CA. They would play duets, teach piano lessons and my father would compose music there as well. He was quite a bit older than my MOM and passed away when I was 5 years old. My MOM, sister and I moved to the San Fernando Valley where I lived until I left for college.
I was terribly torn between MUSIC and ART when I went to San Jose State. But when push came to shove, I chose ART for my college degree. I loved all the experimentation but found my real direction when I started doing BATIK. BATIK is a resist process of using hot wax and dyes to create a design on fabric. The results are often unexpected, as the crackling of the wax can make or break a piece, but that is truly what got me hooked. Working with fabric is good for my soul.
My artwork was put on hold after the birth of our second child. There was not enough time in the day to do it all. Then about 12 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. During my chemotherapy, I had many moments of clarity and realized I deeply missed being creative. It was at that time I “came back home” so to speak, and began creating once again. During that time I became proficient with Photoshop and learned how to create greeting cards. I started with macro photography of butterflies, bees, even flies and printed the close-ups on NOTE CARDS. As I became more proficient with Photoshop, I started created fun and fabulous images with my dog, Bella, dressed up in a variety of holiday fare. My family would hear me laughing away as each creation gave me more pleasure than the last!
I recently came up with this very GREEN idea, to RE-USE GREETING CARDS. For a number of years, when I have sent someone a personal card, I have written my message on a post-it; I included a spare envelope. My hope was that the person receiving the card would remove the post-it and have a blank card and envelope to send to someone else. I have now created the RE-USEABLE GREETING CARD for PURCHASE. These can be any card of your choice, special ordered directly from me. Each card will have 6-8 Post-its' secured to the center of the inside for writing and 3 envelopes. I also include a HOW-TO as my idea is not as easy to explain as it is to understand once you have done it! I will also send additional envelopes and Post-its to anyone who e-mails me and wants to see their single card go around the world! That is my dream. I have not been able to figure out HOW to keep track of this or run a fun contest BUT I am putting it out to the Universe. I will entertain any and all ideas to further this goal, sort of like a message in a bottle of sorts! Cards are $3.25 each as a special promotion with a minimum of 10 cards. This includes shipping and can be paid to me through PayPal or mailed to me. My e-mail for PayPal and to contact me and tell me what cards you would like is: [email protected].
My framed work is currently on display at Scotts Valley Artisans in Scotts Valley, CA. and Nautical Treasures in Downtown Santa Cruz, CA. in their upstairs GALLERY. My Greeting Cards are on display at Paper Vision in Downtown Santa Cruz, The Garden Company and VCA Animal Hospital both on the Westside of Santa Cruz, Amphora in Carmel, CA. and Miss Trawick's Garden in Pacific Grove, CA.
Previously my work has been on display at a wide variety of locations, most notably at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park.