I grew up on a small farm in Kentucky where as a child I enjoyed playing in the woods on our property among the maple, oak and beech trees. My memories of the sunlight and shadow and the different leaf patterns influence the shapes and colors in my paintings still.  I did not begin studying art until I entered Morehead State University where I learned the basics from landscape drawing to figure and still life.   Art appreciation along with history of painting, architecture and sculpture and color theory along with courses in design formed the foundation which is still essential to my work. Later I studied painting at Sacramento Valley Art Academy in California and at the San Antonio Art Institute in Texas. Numerous workshops with water media artists such as Edward Betts, Charles Reid, Gerald Brommer, Virginia Cobb and others contributed to my current style of painting.
I began entering juried shows in 1970 and received awards for my landscape paintings in oil, and later in acrylic and pastel.  I am a signature member of the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies,  the Texas Watercolor Society, the Arizona Watercolor Association  and the Northern Arizona Watercolor Society.  I am a juried member of the Arizona Artists Guild and the Vanguard Art Group.