Born and raised in Ohio, I moved rather frequently within the US and internationally. I lived in Ohio, Saudi Arabia, New Orleans, Dubai, Oklahoma, Norway, Singapore and TX, before I returned to central Ohio in 2016. My experience with pulling up roots, relocation and of finding myself an outsider with a need to reconnect is at the heart of my work. I have frequently struggled to adapt to a new culture and language, to connect with people, to reinvent my art practice in each new place. The effort to adapt and reinvent affected me deeply and is reflected in my artwork. Themes of journey, of being a stranger, of the search for a pathway in a different culture took the form of wind and flux and motion in my artwork.

My experiences are not unique. Modern humans appear to spread out of Africa about 40,000 years ago in several waves and gradually peopled the earth. Our distant ancestors lead the way on their travels, they left layers of marks and signs on cliffs and cave walls. They built settlements and villages and cities. They worshiped in various ways, and taught and learned complicated skills. Like us, they journeyed out of want or need, and had to learn new languages, and had to survive by making new homes and new skills. In a way I was not alone in my journeys, others led the way. If there were barriers along the way, there were often pathways around or through with effort. And in so many places there were the signs and symbols they left behind to mark special places and moments.

I have made artwork everywhere I have lived. My work evolved out of necessity. I have a BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design and MFA from Newcomb College at Tulane University in New Orleans LA. . I taught in the Fine Arts Department at Northern Oklahoma College and glass and ceramics at several art centers.