I am a recently retired educator and newbie to the art world.  

In 2005 I was diagnosed with an aggressive autoimmune disorder--stress onset, they called it (thanks for nothing yet AGAIN Hurricane Katrina). After years of ups and downs, I was ultimately knocked down by it in 2022 and made the difficult decision to retire from my first love, education. I immediately missed having a creative outlet, as teaching is an incredibly creative career when done properly. Once I had physically recovered enough to get up and moving again in the spring of 2025, a dear friend asked me if I wanted to take an art class with her at Rice University, and suddenly my world had color again. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, if I go a few days without "arting" I feel off-balance. Spreading out my art materials at my kitchen counter while listening to a good audiobook or spinning Patsy Cline on the turn table gives me motivation to get up and get going in the mornings (because, let's be honest, it's super tempting to climb back into bed after morning carpool). I have even started bringing my art materials on trips with me.  My favorite painting moments, though, are when my beautiful children sit and paint with me. How are kids so naturally creative? It's quite humbling to see how they take risks and experiment with their art in ways that make me tense. So very, very tense.

In addition to watercolor, I also enjoy a variety of other mediums, including acrylic and collage.