I started my art career as a pastel portrait artist, after studying life drawing and architectural rendering in art school. I took a break from the art world for several years to start a family. During this break, my family and I moved to Woodstock, IL. I became fascinated with the local landscape and I intended to use my architectural rendering background to preserve the local barns on canvas before encroaching development destroyed them.

The burning of a local barn gave me the impetus to begin a series of paintings of the barns of Mc Henry County. At first the cows were just part of the landscape, but after a visit to a local dairy farm, my work began to emphasize the cows and they have become the focal point of much of my work. As my work progressed in this direction, I found that I find something peaceful and nurturing about cows. Seeing them in a landscape fills me with a sense of calm and happiness. I am reminded of the numerous family trips I took as a child, when seeing cows out the car window meant that we were on vacation and good times lay ahead.

My portrait background allows me to paint cows not as animals, but as an extension of ourselves. The cows in my paintings seem to display human characteristics that we can all recognize, either in others or ourselves. Ultimately, my paintings are meant to make people smile or to bring notice to the beauty of our surroundings. I receive great pleasure when viewers of my art recall a fond memory or simply feel better after viewing it.

I continue to explore the cow theme in my work, including several large paintings that convey the size, yet gentleness of these creatures. These paintings minimize the background distractions, so the viewer focuses on the animal. Through my work, I share my love of these animals with others.