Painting is my path to connection and peace.  I experience joy through the process of creation and this allows me to share my own vision of beauty and emotion with others. I communicate with strangers through their own artistic interpretations, while sharing art and elegance from the world that surrounds me.

My work began with mixed media creations: fiber arts, mosaic tiled work, metal sculpture, and jewelry.  As my art turned to painting, I evolved to the form you see today: sculpture on wood (or canvas) to form works with an impasto-like two and three dimensional depth completed with layers and layers of paint.

I have been working with mixed media and painting for more than 18 years.  My innovative, whimsical, playful style blends the tactile depth of sculpture (using paint or wall plaster) with the rich tones of acrylics, oils, and 23 karat gold leaf. 

Growing up in a large Italian and French family in Portland, Oregon, my art is influenced by the passion and expression of my heritage. I thrive on culture, fine cuisine, and travel, having spent time exploring more than 20 countries from Europe, the Caribbean and Central America to all parts of the US.  My heart sings the loudest in the Italian, French, and Spanish sunshine.  I integrate in my designs the experiences drawn from living in the Eastern, Mid-Western, and Western United States, Hawaii, and the Bahamas.

I always revert to painting hearts. My five and a half year old niece, Alexandra Ellis, died of neuroblastoma cancer thirteen years ago. I used to sit in the hospital with her painting hearts and rainbows during her chemo treatment. Thinking of Alex fills me with a treasured joy and keeps me grounded in my work. Alex loved art. She loved bright colors, and so does her Auntie. Using accents of gold and iridescent paint adds a sparkle to my art world. In every painting I create there is a heart hidden inside somewhere.........a gift.

My life is inspired by two themes, and you can find both in my art.  A heart theme in my work expresses the soul-felt theme that guides me: “follow your heart.”  Iridescent accents and deep contrasting colors carry my personal motto “live out loud.”  Enjoy!

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.

--Pablo Picasso