I’m a native Californian, born in Los Angeles and raised in Sacramento. Though my interest in art began in childhood, my creative inclination was not readily apparent in the early years. There’s a family story that as a toddler, I dumped out my first box of crayons, lined them up in a perfect row, then walked off. At some point, I must have developed a deeper interest in those crayons, because I was making sketch books by age six and haven’t looked back.

My formal art education began in 7th grade. I was fortunate to grow up in a time when the public school system could afford a curriculum that exposed students to a variety of creative pursuits. I learned drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and art history. I continued to take every art class offered through high school. As a junior, I sold my first work, a silk screen print, to a fellow student for $5. Thirty years later, I ran into him at a class reunion ...and he claimed he still had it!

I studied fine art in college, attending schools in California, Colorado, and North Dakota. Simultaneously, I married, raised a daughter, worked at various jobs...and painted. In the 1980’s I found myself in Santa Maria, CA wanting to finish my degree in art. Unfortunately there was no university in the area that offered a fine art degree, so I applied and was accepted to Cal Poly’s graphic design program.

Upon graduation in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Art and Design, I moved to Paso Robles with my husband, Bill, worked for various San Luis Obispo county newspapers and magazines...and continued to paint.

12 years ago I decided to form a freelance business, Warpaint Graphics, and currently continue as sole proprietor, producing magazines, logos, business collateral and wine labels. When I’m not at the computer, I’m creating, exhibiting and selling my “hands on art”, an eclectic mix of painting, collage, and assemblage. My work can be found in private collections in the United States and Europe.

Activities and Projects

Paso Robles Art Association Publicity Chair (2006 through 2008) Paso Robles, CA

Secretary, Studios on the Park Committee, Paso Robles Art Association, 2008

Instructor, Collage Workshop, Kid’s Art Camp, Paso Robles Art Association, 2008

Project Developer and Coordinator, “Art is Good Medicine”, art instruction program for the handicapped, Santa Maria, CA, 1985-1988

Awards

Scholarship recipient, Los Padres Artist’s Guild, 1986

Grant recipient- National Endowment of the Arts, funding for “Art is Good Medicine”, art instruction for the handicapped, 1985-1988

Education

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, Bachelor of Science, Applied Art and Design, 1988

Minot State College, Minot, ND

Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO

American River College, Sacramento, CA