My long-standing interest in art began when, as a young teenager, I inherited an old wooden 4” x 5” view camera. I spent many happy hours with camera and tripod in hand exploring woodlands near my home in northeast Ohio. The images came to life for me in my basement darkroom.
I moved to the Pacific Northwest in the mid-seventies to study biology at Western Washington University. It was here that I met my botanist husband, and for a number of years we lived in a small cabin without electricity or running water in the foothills of the North Cascades. Artistically, this was a rich part of my life that I remember fondly. I continued my photographic explorations and began to sketch native plants and animals. After graduation, I combined my interests in art and science and pursued a career in scientific illustration.
My career as a scientific illustrator, in conjunction with raising a family, has spanned twenty-five years. Following a move to New Zealand with my husband and two sons in 1994, I illustrated more than 450 moss species for a forthcoming volume of the Flora of New Zealand series.
In recent years, I have re-kindled a passion for landscape drawing, and enjoy the unique handling characteristics of oil pastel as my preferred medium. Drawing facilitates a discovery process – a means to learn about my surroundings. Finding a way to communicate my experience of nature is a continual challenge, but above all, my intent as an artist is to pay tribute to the beauty that I find. |
