I have been creating and making for as long as I can remember.  My earliest memories are of recreating the ‘draw me’ images in the back of my sister’s fashion magazines.  The art I make now includes working with acrylic, watercolor and clay.  To me, creating images on clay is magic.

My artwork has always been inspired by the importance of place.  I grew up on a farm in Missouri.  It wasn’t a traditional working farm, but we had lots of land so I remember endless hours of taking walks down by the creek, building forts, collecting and exploring. I spent about 3 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, West Africa.  I am  lucky to be a part of an amazing community and that experience has greatly inspired my life and work.  It was there that I decided to become a teacher. I currently live in Portland, Oregon and continue to be inspired by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

I have taught visual arts in Oregon public schools for over 2 decades, teaching students from age 5 to 18.  I held a week-long summer camp in my home studio for 10 years teaching art and bringing together Togolese and Portland communities.  I believe in people power and the importance of art in creating a society rooted in racial justice, where all of us can thrive.