Life moves in a circular fashion, and Covid surely has kept me in a more quiet state at home. Although I have appeared to be

The View from Here #5: Quieter Than Silence (Oil on canvas 36×36 inches) is my newest painting. Experiencing the pandemic has forced a reduction of activity and noise.

Gardening and art always invite me to be in the present moment. Hours pass without ever knowing how long I have been working. In the latest painting of my most recent series, The View From Here #4: The Garden Wall (Oil on canvas 40×30 inches), I used a number of different shaped palette knives and a brush.

Nightfall in St. Cloud (above) by German artist Gabriele Munter was painted in 1906. It was part of an installation French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950 at the Cummer Museum this past summer.

Before I start a painting, I explore a lot of music—pieces that have interesting rhythms, melodies and harmonies. Compositions that stir me emotionally are what move my brush into a meaningful experience for the observer.

I was gifted a pack of micron pens at Christmas. I decided to pack them with some nice drawing paper on my trip to QuiltCon this past February. I thought I may have some extra time to explore drawing with them and I did!

QuiltCon is the largest modern quilting show of its kind, and 2019 took us to Nashville, Tennessee. What in the world does an abstract oil painter do at a quilt show besides show support for her quilter?

It’s no secret that my life took a decisive change at the beginning of 2017. I resigned from working in retail management to further develop my art skills and work as an intern at Down to Earth Farm.

The end of my time as Artist-in-Residence for the Civic Orchestra of Jacksonville coincides with another ending. My internship at Down to Earth Farm has come to a close.

As the Civic Orchestra of Jacksonville season comes to a close, so does my time as Artist in Residence. The past year has given me great memories, new relationships, and the opportunity to develop new skills as an artist.