I have been an artist since I could hold a marker. My mom was trained as an art educator and had several close artist friends, so my creativity was well nurtured from the beginning.  Making art was always a place of joy and refuge where I could let my imagination be free—a much needed escape from the difficulties of being a tender, quiet, introverted girl at school. During a summer of high school, I took a community plein air watercolor class and fell in love with the combination of being outside and making art. Being in a flow state—absorbed in and very present with an experience at the edge of my skillset, all while having the companionship and inspiration of nature, got me hooked. I experimented with sculpture, bookmaking and installation art in college, but I find the most joy in painting nature because it lets me re-live my many experiences connecting with the wilderness. 

I chose to become an acupuncturist because I felt called to be a healer and decided that making art would remain a personal practice. This worked for a while, until my mom was ill and died during the covid pandemic. Immersing myself in nature to create art became a way to heal from compassion fatigue and grief. I also realized that it was time to share my innate and trained ability to see beauty and be in wonderment—a unique gift that I now offer to heal our world one painting and person at a time.

Understanding suffering comes naturally to me and has continued to deepen with my Buddhist practice. Creating art is my way of giving myself a balm for the pain in the world. I feel distress about harm done to the earth, racial injustice, socio-economic inequity, and all of the other ways in which we are not living in alignment with our true nature as kind human beings. Playing with color, shape, and texture while representing the exquisite creations of nature gives me a peaceful refuge and counteracts feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm. This practice fills me up and allows me to show up in the world with authenticity and compassion.