| I grew up during the 50's, drawing with pencil, charcoal, pen and ink. When my Jon Gnagy ?Learn To Draw' set reduced to tatters, I moved on to ?paint by numbers'. High school and college, in the 60's, still found me in the pursuit of the fine arts, working in ink, acrylic and woodcut mediums. After marrying and working for three years in Boston, we moved to Europe, where I used my five years there to make use of the abundant art and cultural influences to be found. Returning stateside, I went on to graduate with a degree in graphic design in 1980, from The American University, Washington DC, before returning to my native NH.
I founded Via Design, Manchester NH, in 1987, and enjoyed a long and successful graphic design career. By the time I retired in 2001, my husband and I had moved to the Rye NH seacoast, where for the next two decades, I consulted as a Colorist and Interior Designer with my company. It was in Rye that I returned to my fine art following the passing of my artist mother. One day, finding myself staring at a mountain of (mom's) art materials, I had an epiphany; I picked up the brush and dove in. I began to explore oils as a medium, while spending several years making and cradling my own hardboard canvases at the local shipyard wood shop. It was a time of experimentation and exploration as I soaked up the teeming coastal subject matter, gathering natural items and wandering the shore. I spent much of my free time with my canine painting companion, painting 'en plein air' in areas around our home. |
