Decades ago when I was an English major, the beautiful William Carlos Williams poem, The Red Wheel Barrow, kept repeating in my head. It’s a visual masterpiece in words and contained everything that mattered to me in that moment: brilliant color, blazing light, and the ordinary and miraculous beauty of nature. Looking out on the Spring campus in the morning light, it seemed so obvious that I wanted to become a painter. The realization came from outside and within.

The Red Wheel Barrow

By William Carlos Williams

So much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

My Life in a Nutshell

I was lucky to grow up in New York City where I experienced the cultural profusion of a major city. My dad, a former painter, was earning a Phd in art history at NYU and took me to art museums on the weekends. Spending summers in Rhode Island at my grand-parents’ near the ocean was yet another blessing.

In my thirties I migrated to San Francisco for a while and discovered a vibrant West Coast cultural scene and beautiful inspiring landscapes. Still, I missed New England and Manhattan, and moved back East after a decade.

I’ve had several day jobs, but the work I’ve enjoyed the most has engaged me with people, ie teaching art and community social work.

I’ve lived for over 30 years in central Vermont with my husband which fits us perfectly. He is an acoustic guitar builder, and with our cat and dog, we enjoy the wild habitat, woods, rivers and villages here. I’ve had several day jobs, but the employment I’ve enjoyed the most has engaged me with people, i.e. teaching art at assisted living residences, and rural community social work. We work at home in our own studios and live only driving distance from New York City, Boston and the ocean.

I hold a BFA in painting from UMass and an MA in Liberal Studies with a thesis in painting from Dartmouth College.