My life in Carmel Valley...
I am a 70something happily married lady living in Carmel Valley CA.
My family, extended and specific, have always been hugely important to me. My husband Jerry is a photographic artist and graphic designer. We enjoy the support and understanding of being creatives and partners. I have a sister and brother. They have two sons that are terrific. That part of the family lives in Washington State where two young granddaughters are too. Their delightful artist daughter, my niece now lives in Monterey. She is my tech support and friend in all things.
My cousin lives in LA. We share the love of plants and gardening.
My immediate family has always included furry members. I have always had a cat or 2-3-… and now I am enjoying my third dog. Bodhi and Harlee-Kitty are my constant confidants. Birds, squirrels, flowers, deer, and lizards seem to like our home too- thankfully outside. I have raised bees, chickens, and kittens. I love animals of every kind. As a volunteer at the Monterey County SPCA I was able to attend to the care and feeding of a variety of wild birds and animals, exotic and local. Some of the rescues even showed up in my painting and printmaking.
... my life long art journey.
Handwork has been a consistent companion for me since I was in grammar school when I learned to embroider, crochet, and sew. I feel untroubled when I work with my hands. Yarn, thread, ribbon, lace, fabric, all excites my creativity. The textures and colors make me happy. I have been obsessively crocheting since I joined a blanket making group for orphaned elephants in Southwest Africa. That project brought me back to an early passion. With the onset of Covid and house bound, I was and have been working on my own one-of-a-kind patterns nearly every day.
Even the textures of hair and colors, natural and not, made my “real” job fun. I worked as a hairstylist for 25 years. All the while making “non-human” art on the side. Printmaking was even tactile as I used my hands and fingers to make marks in the ink. A bit more sophisticated than finger painting but just as much fun.
In 1990 I had my prefab-shed-studio built. Then I was able to spend more and more time away from the salon until in 2000 I retired to make art full time.
I still am working in the print and paint studio from time to time and fabric and thread have crept into there as well. Embellishing my prints and paintings has renewed my interest in 2d work. Mixed media has taken over much to my amusement and enjoyment.
You can learn more on Fine Art and Flying Poodle web pages and Instagram.
