I was born the daughter of a career Army officer, a West Point graduate, during World War II, and I grew up on Army posts in many locations, mostly in the Eastern United States and Europe. The only formal art lessons I ever had caused me to quit painting from age 14 to 24, so I studied literature, history, and philosophy at the University of Maryland in Munich and majored in German at Michigan State.
I married an artist, and I benefited from discussions with him and the use of his paints to develop my own art. After we separated, my daughter, Collin, and I moved to an artists' colony in Eastport, ME, a place of cold, terrible beauty in winter and frenetic fecundity in summer.
I exhibited in galleries in Eastport and Portland, ME, including the Portland Museum of Art, my work appeared on the cover of DownEast and Maine Life magazines, and I sold work to collectors from all over the US.
I became a teacher in 1983 and have taught in Maine, the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, China, California, and now back to the Rez. I am grateful to teaching for the places it has taken me and the cultures I have come to know.
I also value the independence I have been able to maintain in my art because I don't have to rely on it to support myself, freeing me to pursue my own personal pilgrimage.