The seeds of my art career must have started when I was a child. My grandfather had his own museum and used to carve wooden figures to use in his displays. I remember well the covered wagon scene, especially the wooden children and the little dog that ran beside the wagon. These sculptures fascinated me. All during my childhood days, I would experiment with painting and drawing but at this time I never tried sculpture or ceramics except for the typical mud pies that every farm kid makes.
In high school I took my first art class and didn't experience great success there. After high school I went on to college to become a teacher. I always had an interest in art and tried to improve the curriculum to include the teaching of basic art skills and the development of each student's unique art style. I was also sculpting some small pieces at this time. In the fall of 1984, after teaching for eighteen years, I took a sabbatical in order to get a degree in art. During that time I attended Fontbonne College in St. Louis, Missouri and got a Masters Degree in Art with an emphasis in sculpture and pottery. I graduated in May of 1986 with a 3.9 GPA. Since then I have been constantly challenging myself to get better and better, to go deeper into my subconscious and let the art forms emerge. I know that both Henry Moore and Frank-Lloyd Wright have had a great influence on my work. I feel that my art career is finally coming together, I am excited about the new pieces I am doing and hope that I can continue to be a part of the great creative process for a long, long time.
