About the Artist
I grew up in Naples, Florida in the 70s. As a kid, on afternoons or weekends, I would swim hundreds of laps at the YMCA pool or body surf and search for shells at a local beach. My work as an artist is inspired by those early days when we grew crispy in the sun and smelled of chlorine and salt into the balmy evenings. My art comes from these memories, textures, smells and tastes.
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The process of art making for me is first about that abstract memory or feeling, and the painting begins as a gestural, colorful exploration. As the painting develops, so does the representation of my conscious thoughts and personal symbols. The salt and sand textures of my memories have inspired the combination of mediums: acrylic and oil paints, ink, and watercolor, pigments, and cold wax is worked on paper, wood, and canvas.
I love to combine mediums to create a layering and textural history to the work. Often, images of birds, swimmers or divers, and tropical plants or florals appear within the many layers of my paintings to convey my ideas.
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After earning a Master’s Degree in Art Education and Art Therapy at Florida State University, I continued my art education in painting and drawing in New York City, Asheville, NC, Paris, France, and Luccae, Italy. An investment in my growth as an artist compels me to attend several highly-rated workshops each year, where I explore new concepts in mixed media and fine-tune my talents as a working artist.
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I teach art for healing workshops during the year and am inspired by the people I am privileged to meet. My paintings are in many private collections throughout Florida, the United States and Europe. I live in Naples, Florida, with my husband, sculptor Ed Koehler, my son, 5 birds and 2 dogs, Kozi and Hazel.
