Artist Biography

I was born in Wisconsin , raised in Illinois, spent many years in Southern California and have been recently living in North Carolina and Idaho. I come from a family of artists, my father and great uncle, both dreamers and art lovers. I am an artist who is continually inspired by life and I use art as a creative outlet.  I lose myself when I paint, and I draw inspiration from thoughts of my mother. My mother was present physically but mentally absent. The lack of a mother in my childhood has had an enormous influence on my life. I use painting as the most sincere form of self-expression.

I make my art from a variety of mixed media sometimes using encaustic. Although for the past few years I have been painting with acrylics & oil sticks and occasionally pastels - really multi-media.

All of my works contain a presence of “Elaine” whether underneath the layers of paint or on top in the form of a silhouette.

I have attended Penland School of Crafts to study encaustic painting and various other art schools & classes over many years.

In addition to being an artist, I am a retired docent at the North Carolina Museum of Art (after over twenty years) and volunteer for the Sun Valley Museum of Art from time to time.