Artist. Caregiver. Storyteller.

I’m a self-taught papermaker, photographer, and writer whose work is deeply shaped by life’s intensity and beauty. My journey into art is not one I planned—it’s one I needed.

With master’s degrees in Health Services Management & Policy and Public Administration, I spent years in healthcare management before shifting into education as a high school social studies teacher. For decades, I’ve also been the primary caregiver for my husband, a Marine Corps veteran who has lived with the long-term effects of encephalitis since 1993 and with service-connected ALS since 2010.

Caregiving has been demanding—sometimes isolating, frequently profound. Art has become the place where I reclaim myself.

Photography came first: chasing light, framing landscapes, and finding stillness in motion. Then came writing—three books and many reflections. In 2023, papermaking found me. From the first pull of pulp, I felt something shift. It was grounding, tactile, alive. I now create handmade paper from plants in my garden, recycled fibers, and whatever the season offers. Each sheet is a quiet act of transformation—just like life.

Art helps me process the hard parts. It reminds me to look for light, even in the shadows. I create art to discover the beauty within myself—and perhaps help others find it, too.