I began painting in 1977 through decorative painting classes at the local Wichita, KS park board. My first medium was oil. I was an avid oil painter until discovering colored pencil in 1995. At that time colored pencil wasn’t well known in the decorative painting industry so what I’ve learned has been through study, trial, error and success!

After joining the Society of Decorative Painters in 1980 I earned the certification of Certified Decorative Artist in 1992 and the diploma of Teacher of Decorative Art in 2002. SDP has been a leading force in my career as a decorative painter.

I’ve been fortunate to study with very good teachers such as: Ann Kingslan MDA, TDA - Sherry C. Nelson MDA, TDA - Mary Gibilisco CDA - Peggy Stogdill MDA; just to name a few.

Birds are my favorite subject to paint with florals and still life coming right behind.

Colored pencil fits a busy lifestyle of working full-time and painting in the evenings! It’s an easy medium to master with only a few maneuvers of the pencil. Almost all colored pencil paintings are done with either the linear or the circular motion of the pencil.

Almost all decorative papers are suitable for colored pencil paintings and the papers can be decoupaged to wood surfaces, if a functional object is desired.

Classes are taught with an emphasis on application, color and design