I am a true “Maine-iac,” born and brought up in Maine. As an avid horseback rider, I always said I had a “western heart in an eastern body.” I moved from Chicago to Phoenix, Arizona in 2000 to defrost my soul and absorb the energy from the sun.

I am an “Outside Artist.” That is, I have had no formal artistic training. Outsider Art, sometimes called Art Brut, Visionary or Self Taught, has been gaining increasing attention over the past two decades. It has been described as the “hidden face of contemporary art.” Artists like Picasso and Kandinsky felt that trained artists were inevitably corrupted by their schooling and that self-taught artists were purer in spirit and execution of their talent. 

Circumstances in my life give me inspiration. I frequently identify paintings with names of family and friends. “JOE” and “EILEEN” were my parents’ names; however, my sister, Roni, says that my images "do not look like Mother and Dad.”

The Leo in my soul allows me to release the color and excitement I feel when I am in my studio. When I paint, using acrylic, oil, watercolor, and mixed media, my imagination levitates. I light a candle and try not to trip over my Lab who must lie under my feet.

My BS, in Physical Therapy from Boston University, taught me to be creative in working with patients.  I have used my knowledge of anatomy to infuse my paintings with some human characteristics.

I hope people smile when they look at my paintings. Life is for laughter.

My artistic goal is to infuse my art with images that light up a wall with whimsy.

BIOGRAPHY

Represented by Rosensteel Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona

Board of Directors: Shemer Art Museum, City of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona

Juried:
Arizona Art Alliance  2004 ( statewide)
Glendale Arts Council 2005

ART SHOWS AND SALES

May 2006
Featured artist Channel 3, Phoenix TV with Lisa Haffner
Featured artist on Channel 3 web page

April-May 2006
Arizona Art Alliance Juried Exhibit and Sale
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale, AZ

January 2006
Hadassah “Jewish Women in the Arts”
Featured speaker
Marriott Hotel, Scottsdale, AZ

December, 2005
Jewish Historical Society Exhibit and Sale
Phoenix, AZ

November 2005
Art Alliance Exhibit and Sale
WigWam Resort, Litchfield Park, AZ

April 2005
Arizona Art Alliance Exhibit and Sale
Juried Members
Shrine Auditorium, Phoenix, Arizona

March -April  2005
Glendale Arts Council
Juried Fine Arts Competition
Co-sponsored by City of Glendale
Sahuaro Ranch Foundation, Glendale, Arizona

February  2005
Health Management Academy –Artist by invitation only
“The Academy Arts Festival”
El Pedregal and The Boulders Resort, Scottsdale, Arizona

 February - March 2004
“Art For Life” Show and Sale
Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Palm Beach County
Armory Arts Center West Palm Beach, Florida

January 2004
Art Exhibit and Sale
Eastpointe Golf and Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Private Collections: Palm Beach, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Phoenix

VOLUNTEER

June 2005
Artist Coordinator 
“Kaleidoscope Horses”
Life size horse statues painted in area malls to benefit the disabled
Nominated for the “2005 Arizona Business in the Arts Awards”

November 2005
Phoenix Art Museum
“Breast of Phoenix ” art exhibit and sale to benefit breast cancer survivors
Phoenix , AZ