Artist's Background

My art is a celebration of the natural world filtered through a vibrant, contemporary lens — a painter whose abstract botanicals pulse with color, movement, and exuberance. Born and raised in the foothills of East Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, my childhood was marked by a deep connection to my surroundings: quiet corners, sunlit rooms, outdoors and the lush presence of houseplants still echo through her work today.

It was in third grade, after taking third place in a school art contest, that I first glimpsed the thrill of artistic recognition. By the age of ten, I was adamant: “When I grow up, I want to be an artist and draw and paint.” With no known artistic lineage in my family, my creative path was one I forged myself — buoyed by my own curiosity and resolve.

My academic background is in business, but my career swiftly took a creative turn. Early roles in marketing and creative services paved the way to becoming Creative Director at Nashville’s Ingram Book Company, a position I held for seven years. From there, a passion for mural painting overtook me, with my work featured in three Nashville Junior League Decorator Showhouses during a five-year period dedicated to murals.

Today, I paint what I love: the interplay of organic shapes and bold geometry, inspired by the plants in my own home. In my paintings, intricate foliage interweaves with strikingly bright color palettes, reflecting influences drawn from the Fauvist painters, particularly Henri Matisse — whose expressive brushwork and use of “unnatural” color liberated a generation of artists, and continues to inform my visual style. All my paintings have some form of plant or flower imagery, my studio practice characterized by daily sketching and painting in the early morning hours, when inspiration feels most immediate.

Experimentation is the foundation of my technique, yielding unique canvases that combine the vibrancy of nature with a distinctive graphic sensibility. My scenes — often depicting quiet spaces animated by my favorite plants, a beloved chair, or a bookshelf — invite viewers into a world that is both contemplative and full of energy. Audiences have connected with the “happy and sometimes whimsical” spirit of my paintings, noting their bold colors and sense of movement.

Originally represented by Nashville’s Local Color Gallery in the early 2000s, my work resides in private collections, with prominent collectors counted among my supporters. When not in the studio, I am an avid reader, with an extensive home library, and I'm a dedicated member of a book club. Now a full-time artist, I continue to develop my practice, creating art that, at its heart, is an invitation: to notice the beauty in our everyday environments, and to find joy in color, nature, and the spaces we call home.

I live in Nashville and have one son, Joshua, who is my sounding board for ideas.