Art has been an important part of my life since I was a child. Painting allows me to express things inside of me that can't be expressed otherwise. In college I decided to make my career doing something with art, so I chose to become a high school art teacher. I have taught at Hoover High (formerly Berry) for 25 years. It has been very rewarding. My students inspire me all of the time with their youthful enthusiasm and creativity.

I paint in more than one style because each style allows me to express something different. Recently I have had a strong interest in painting in an abstract style expressing myself with shape, color, and value. Movement is an important element in my work also. I have to feel a sense of flowing. I've always been interested in natural rhythms and patterns like the curve of a seashell, the swirling of clouds, the cycles of the seasons and the moon, birth and death. Music is also a great inspiration, especially jazz. In some pictures I try to make the tones and rhythms visiable by using line, shape, and color.

Fast drying acrylics are my favorite medium. They work well for me because they allow me to compose as I go, sketching in paint, applying thin washes without having to wait long for layers to dry. I generally start with only a few lines or curves, maybe a small shape, and then I improvise. I really never know how the painting is going to look in the end