My children are my miracle and my hope and make me carry on. They are my life/they are my days and nights and give me the joyful foundation from which I look at life. They make me strong and make me commit to being authentic...When they were young I only was a vegetarian because I wanted them to respect life (theirs and others and animals) and I wanted them to be conscious about what they put in their mouths and stomachs. I am so blessed to have my children. I am so blessed to have my flowers so I paint my flowers and my children just carry on and give me such delight!

I grew up on a farm in Ohio where we raised sheep. We named the sheep after flowers...mine was Rosie/my sister's was Daisy. Our sheep would meet us out our back door and honestly follow us around all day on the farm...When the flock had multiplied to 28 my dad decided he did not want to be in the sheep business so we got rid of the sheep but I never got rid of Rosie and when my daughter Keegan was the star in her high school senior class play she was Rosie!

I am fascinated by flowers...I do my garden every day and they are so lively and earnest...always looking for the sun...I provide the water but I am not much of a weeder. I bring flowers into my home but only pick the ones that are 'hidden' from view because they need an audience too!

this painting is the third in the series...it is smaller 12"x12"..the rocks are cooler but I have tried hard to make the water move/the rocks stay still...I LOVE the paint rocks..they have such a soul and will hold still long enough to actually do their portrait...water is more impetuous and difficult to give it life..still a challenge worth doing....

Second in this series...more muslims and christians...note how the rocks squeeze the water but the water gets through...the water is always flowing and will make its way...no matter what!

I am sooo excited about this painting! It is done with oils but I 'discovered' an classic oil technique of 'oiling up the canvas'...equal parts gum turpentine/cold pressed linseed oil and damar varnish...it is so JUICY! It is 3'x4'---the beginning of my rocks vs water series...I think the Christian/Muslim issues are like this and we have to see the "issues" and "conflicts" from a different viewpoint...be able to be the rocks/be able to be the water and see that they are complimentary and make life interesting. We'd better figure this out soon! I worry about my paintings so I don't have to worry about the future...

This is also an acrylic...note the texture...really bumpy! I am bored with smooth paintings but sometimes i get into trouble...bumps where I dont want them...sorta like my body!

This is a barn that EVERYONE who is a barn painter in Cashiers has painted. It is in oil and apparently has quite a history...it was fun/done in oil...actually the finished painting is a LOT more colorful and dynamic but I think it is interesting...I used to paint portraits of people and now I paint portraits of barns...gotta tell you something about where I am going with all of this....

shrooms...what is important?

This was painted in an hour...just shapes that turned out to be mushrooms. When I was a little girl in Ohio my brothers and I would go pick mushrooms and come home with a pillowcase full of them...we would put them in a pot with lots of butter and fry them up! Why we never died I don't know but my grandmother had instructed us as to which mushrooms were edible...I guess she knew what she was talking about...

I went to a workshop by Phil Garret of Golden Acrylic...so NOW I am so into acrylics. This painting is way cooler in person and is my first acrylic with the golden products... belong to Lake Toxaway Art Guild. For me painting is a solitary experience and I create infinitely more authentically when I am alone BUT that being said...I need to have friends who are interested and committed to the same path so we can share and explore and learn and grow. And they are just downright good people who are fun to be with and I am so grateful for each of them. We have several workshops in the summer while I am in Lake Toxaway and we have a huge art show on the first Monday of every October---it will be fun again I am sure!