GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaGeorgia Southern I have loved color and creating since I was a child. Rainy days spent inside coloring or painting were my favorite activities. Not much has changed, a rainy day remains an invitation to turn on some beautiful music and create at the easel. Art has the power to transport the viewer to a remembered place in time. Plein air painting (painting on location) connects me to the sights, sounds and feeling of a scene. I can bring my memories of a place back into the studio through studies, sketches and photos hoping to bring more to my work than merely copying a photograph. Since nature can be both chaotic and peaceful, I enjoy pulling underlying abstractions together into a cohesive representation of my impressions. I have explored several mediums beginning with watercolor then pastel, oils and gouache. I have found that I use techniques from all of these mediums to create my favorite oils, pastels and most recently gouache. I love the excitement of experimenting with new colors and tools, adding yet another layer to take my work beyond the ordinary. I am a teacher and student always ready to grow as an artist. In the end, I hope my viewers will feel they are stepping into my paintings visually and emotionally.