Welcome!
​I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. Making art connects me with the joy and wonder of everyday life. As a lifelong artist, I get deep pleasure and meaning from what I see — and from transforming those images into art that speaks not only to the eyes, but also to the mind and heart. 

When I discovered the careers of graphic design and illustration while still in college, the transition felt natural. Since then, design principles and techniques have informed my original art, while at the same time I've been able to apply my personal insights and experience to the communication art I've created with clients.

Pictures & Prints. Amidst an always-busy work and family life, I've continued to carve out the time to translate what I see and feel into pictures. Wherever I go, I take photos of the sights that capture my eye and then use some of them as the basis for new drawings and paintings. Over the years, my favored media have evolved from pen and ink to pastels to Prismacolor pencils and acrylic paints. Then, after learning to draw with a mouse in Adobe Illustrator and applying it extensively for client work, I created many of my own images employing that technique. Recently, I've found great joy and inspiration drawing and painting on my iPad with Adobe Fresco. Creating art in a digital environment makes reproduction easy, and since partnering with fineartamerica.com, I've been able to offer both paper and canvas prints, framed and un-, as well as totes and throw pillows (and even shower curtains!) with numerous images I've created. Beyond that, I always welcome ideas for new work if a particular landscape or portrait subject strikes your fancy. Just message me via the contact page!

Portraits. Every portrait is unique – whether it represents a person or a group, your pet, your home, or a treasured memory. I've been creating portraits for as long as I can remember, and I love the process of bringing a face on a page to life. I hope the examples on this page inspire you to commission a portrait of your own as a one-of-a-kind gift for someone you love – including yourself! There's no better present to commemorate weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or special occasions of any kind.

Graphic Design & Illustration. While in college, I was assigned to find a print shop that would make a photostat of one of my drawings. To my surprise, the printer I found offered me a position in his shop. Learning on the job launched me into a fascinating career as a graphic designer and illustrator, creating publication art to present clients' messages in ways that both engage and inform their audiences. I've loved my work and, to this day, continue to learn with each new project – collaborating with wonderful clients, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Georgetown University, the National Symphony Orchestra, and many others. 

Illustrated Essays: Thinking About Life in Pictures & Words. My very favorite medium is creating a story in pictures and words. So several years ago, I set up a new website – shygirltalking.com – where I've posted essays that I've written about recollections, observations and occasional insights, all illustrated with my drawings or photos. They've ranged from my love of clouds to the night I left my abusive first husband to praise of everyday wonders to what I learned from breast cancer and from teaching homeschool. I hope you'll check them out. And I hope you enjoy them.