ABOUT | mysite

I am a Textile Designer by trade, but a painter/illustrator on the side. A graduate of UMASS Dartmouth with a BFA in Textile Design and an Associates of Interior Design from Rhode Island School of Design.

I was always drawing as a child and my parents enrolled me in private art classes at Swain School of Design during the summer and I got hooked! I was always drawing and painting.

Taking art throughout high school and winning awards seemed that I would naturally gravitate to studying art but entered college as an unknown major. After my Freshman year in college I visited my trusted high school art teacher Mrs. Giblin and with her encouragement persuaded me to study Textile Design.

When I decided to change my major to art my sophomore year in college my parents were actually shocked and wanted me to get a second degree in education just in case my "hobby" didn't work out. Striking a forever bond with my favorite Professor, Carolyn Mills, my degree in Textiles became natural. I loved nature studies and painting.

I actually have been employed in the textile industry since 1987 so I guess my parents were wrong to think that my "hobby" wouldn't last.

I started a local paint night with a few of my neighborhood girlfriends in 2014 and helped them see that everyone can paint. It doesn't have to be perfect and the interpretation that everyone has is their own style.

I truly believe Art is learned, and can be done at any age. You don't need to be "gifted" to succeed, as long as you practice and use your individual technique you will continue to get better. This is what I emphasize with my students who take painting lessons with me, you need to practice if you want to get better. You won't paint the "Picasso" the first time around, but you do need to have some sense of color theory and layout, and with practice you will get better!