Paintings from west of the Mississippi River - my most recent explorations - especially in Arizona where I currently reside. My wanderings are bigger and wider here - I have been exploring jaw-dropping canyons, powerful mountain ranges, high desert grasslands, and the iconic Sonoran desert national parks. And then there are the skies with sunsets too intense to be real!  Ah, and the Petrified Forest National Park!  In September, 2020,  was an artist in residence and have enjoyed painting from my field sketches, photos and notes since I returned.  The cultural and geological history pervades as a layer upon the desolate landscape.  It is a powerful feeling to feel small and insignificant before ancient processes too old to comprehend, and to experience a depth of beauty that can never be completely told with paint and brush.

Stay tuned for a whole new collection of paintings - coming soon!

No matter where I live, part of me will always be an "Up North" gal.  Ok, maybe not so much in winter, but I love the bogs, lakes, forests and wetlands during spring, summer and fall.  There is nothing quite like the calls of loons, the sweetness of the spring flora of the forest floor, or the excitement of seeing an otter, bear or moose.  In recent years, my visits (in summer!) have been to Grand Marais, MN and north to the Canadian border, sometimes paddling the lakes into the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area or participating in Plein Air Grand Marais.  It is high contrast to the desert southwest in every way imaginable.  Paintings from this region make their way to Riverwood Art and Frame in Eau Claire, WI - www. rivewoodartandframe.com. 

I enjoy painting "en plein air" but only have a few images to share.  Usually, I forget to photograph them.  More later.....

Wow. I lived and worked in this region as a botanist with the U.S. Geological Survey.   Then I started painting it.  It is such a deep part of my soul,  the Driftless Area,  the Mississippi River, its tributaries and streams, the steep blufflands and goat prairies.  It is where I exhibited "River Sojourn; a Painter's Portfolio of the Upper Mississippi River Blufflands" in art museums and galleries from Minneapolis to Dubuque, and honed my voice as a painter. The connections with those who collected and affirmed my work remain priceless.  

During undergrad and graduate school, I studied botany with Dr. Marcus Fay , chairman of the biology department at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.  I developed a deep respect and friendship with Dr. Fay, botanizing with him for years after graduating. It was great fun!  When he passed away in 2016, I created an exhibition of paintings as a tribute  to him, based on the native plants I had studied under his tutelage. The exhibit packed the gallery with his colleagues, biology professors and former art teachers, and students from several decades, all of us sharing stories of our time with this wonderful man who enriched all of our lives through the wonderful world of botany.