EDUCATION

1995 University of California, Los Angeles, Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts

1993 Scuola Di Leonardo Da Vinci, Florence, Italy (Study Abroad Program)

2003 La Quinta Arts Foundation, "Desert Plein Air", La Quinta, CA

2002 Wyoming State Museum, "Governor’s Capital Art Exhibition", Cheyenne, Wyoming

2002 ArtWest Gallery, "The Art Association’s Members and Students Show, " Jackson Hole, WY’

2001 The Kneeland Gallery, Group Exhibition, Ketchum, ID

2000 Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Six Paintings installed into a permanent Exhibition, Salinas, CA

1999 Pitzer’s of Carmel, Two Person Show, Carmel, CA

1999 Carmel Art Festival, "Plein-Air Paintings," Pitzer’s of Carmel, Carmel, CA

1999 Pacific Grove Art Center, Solo Show, Pacific Grove, CA

1998 Monterey Museum of Art, "Christmas Miniature Show," Monterey, CA

1998 Monterey Museum of Art, Juried All-Media Regional Show, Monterey, CA

1998 Pacific Grove Art Center, "Monterey County Open Studio Tour," Pacific Grove, CA

1998 Winfield Gallery, Auxiliary Spaces, Carmel, CA

1997 Civic Arts Galley, Martinez, CA

1995 The Landing Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles, "Senior Show," Los Angeles, CA

1994 The Wight Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles, "Undergraduate Juried Art Exhibit," Los Angeles, CA

1991 Santa Catalina School Gallery, Monterey, CA

1991 Monterey County Regional High School Art Show, Juried, Monterey, CA

2002 Purchase Award, "Governor’s Capital Art Exhibition", Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne, Wyoming

1999 "Second Place," Carmel Art Festival, Plein-Air Painting Competition, Pitzer’s of Carmel, Carmel, CA

1991 "Top Honors," Advanced Placement Art Exam, National Competition

1990 "Third Place," Monterey County Regional High School Art Show, Monterey, CA

Stepping Out, Jackson Hole News, Jackson Hole, WY, March 6-12,2002, page 11

American Art Review, October 1999, page 82

Southwest Art, September 1999, page 96

Gallery Showcase, Carmel, CA Summer 1999, Back Cover.

Go! Monterey County Herald, Monterey, CA, April 15-21, 1999, page 6

The Sun, Monterey, CA April 15, 1999, page 8-9

Artist Statement

I prefer to work directly with Nature ("plein-air"-a French term meaning outdoors) to best capture on canvas the energy and mood of the moment as well as the light and atmosphere of the landscape. The quickly changing light and weather forces my hand to paint fast and decisively with no time to over analyze my subject but just paint what I see. Painting this way feels as if I’m on autopilot, totally immersed in the present moment.

The specific sites inspired for the paintings are chosen from the landscape around where I live and have the most connection with; namely the Jackson Hole area. The soft-focused style of my work, however, speaks not of an actual physical place on the map, but a metaphysical place of mind, a universal mood and feeling of Nature that is ephemeral, serene and romantic.

Since a child, I knew expressing myself through painting and drawing was going to be a life journey. The act of creating, from making the first mark on a blank canvas to painting the last stroke, brings me the utmost pleasure and gives me much fulfillment and purpose in life. High School advanced placement art classes grounded in traditional and technical art, along with majoring in Fine Art at UCLA’s School of the Arts, a program rooted in contemporary and conceptual issues, gave me a well-varied art foundation to take off from. After graduating, I worked as a graphic artist for 2 years but soon realized I had to make my dream of painting full-time into a reality.

I have been painting professionally since 1997, developing my knowledge by taking plein-air workshops, most notably with professional Jackson Hole artists Scott Christensen and Greg McHuron, and by painting on location, studying Nature. My work has been in numerous west coast galleries and juried into many museum exhibitions. I am currently represented by Kneeland Gallery in Ketchum, Idaho.