After earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and dance at Antioch University, i raised three children and a herd of milk goats on a farm in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. There i learned about gardening and herbal medicine, chopping wood and environmental activism, counseling and African drumming.

My three children, now grown up, are my favorite models and can be seen in many of the paintings. When we first moved to the island of Kaua'i, i drew my kids as mermaids for fun, which led to lots of mermaid portraits and a local reputation as the Mermaid Lady. I've drawn pastel portraits from life on gallery porches and art walks, created many commissioned paintings of couples, and focused on the faces, strengths and struggles of the local community.

Now into my third decade of living on Kauai, i love to paint, dance, play drums, sleep under the stars, and swim with dolphins and whales. I teach  Nonviolent Communicationand am the founder of Love Tribe drum and dance ensemble and Aloha Africa cultural exchange project.