About the Artist
I am driven by the quest for quiet and solitude. The louder and more thoughtless the nonstop buzz
surrounding us becomes, the greater my need to create the opposite. I paint people engaged in quiet
and contemplative pursuits, and landscapes that invite a solitary stroll. The vibrancy of my preferred
medium, pastel, often magnifies the sense of introspection.
I'm continually working to improve my mark making. Each painting has its own story and the better I
can make my marks, the more clearly I can convey it. I want my art to stir the soul, to create a
connection. I want it to bring back memories and make people smile. Do you remember listening for
meadowlarks as you hiked up the trail? Does the figure curled up with a book remind you of someone
you love, maybe even yourself?
My art is about connecting to people with recognition and emotion, a sense of place and of memory, of
simply being human. I hope that sharing my need for quiet encourages others to recognize and embrace
their own, to take a deep breath and remember that they can separate themselves from all that noise, if
only for a moment.
Selected Exhibitions and Awards:
2026 --3rd Place, IAPS Juried Fall Webshow, 49th Open Division
2026 -- Best Drawing Medium, Wallowa Festival of the Arts, Joseph OR
2026 -- Best in Show, Pastel Category: Art & Soul National Art Competition, Twin Falls, ID
2026 -- Pastel Society of the West Coast: 40th Annual Pastels USA - 99 Voices International Exhibition, Visual Experience Fine Art Gallery, Torrance CA
2026 -- Northwest Pastel Society: 40th Open International Juried Exhibition, Cole Gallery, Edmonds WA
2026 -- Pastel Society of the West Coast Juried Exhibition: Members Only Online Show
2025 -- Best of Show: Northwest Pastel Society Members Show, Columbia Center for the Arts, Hood River OR
2025 -- Pastel Society of America's 53rd Annual Exhibition: Enduring Brilliance, The Galleries of the National Arts Club, New York, NY
2025 -- Crossroads Carnegie Art Center: Heart of the Wild Group Exhibition, Baker City, OR
2025 -- Best of Show - Pastel Category, Art & Soul of the Magic Valley
2025 -- Northwest Pastel Society Signature Members Show, Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes WA
2025 -- Pastel Society of Colorado: International Online Exhibition: Expressions!
2025 – Tucson Pastel Society International Online Show: Power of Pastel
2024 -- Special Merit Award, Art and Color 365 Magazine Open Competition
2024 - Pastel Society of the West Coast: Pastels USA - 99 Voices International Open Exhibition, Brea Gallery, Brea, CA
2024 - Best Drawing Media Award: 42nd Annual Wallowa Arts Festival National Juried Show, Joseph, OR
2024 - Pastel Society of North Carolina: 8th Annual Pure Color Online International Juried Exhibition
2024 - Sun Valley Museum of Art: Idaho Rivers Exhibition, Sun Valley, ID
2024 - Best in Show, Pastel Category: Art & Soul National Art Competition, Twin Falls, ID
2024 - Pastel Society of Colorado: Mile High International Open Exhibition, Golden, CO
2024 - Pastel Society of New Mexico: Enchanted Colors, Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, NM
2024 - Juror's Award, Northwest Pastel Society Signature Members Show, Anacortes, WA
2023 - Special Merit Award: Art and Color 365 Magazine Figural/People Competition
2023 - Northwest Pastel Society: Signature Members Show, Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes, WA
2023 - Red Rock Pastel Society of Nevada: "Orange" International Exhibition, Las Vegas, NV
2023 - Award of Merit: New Orleans Drawing Group Exhibition, New Orleans, LA
2023 - New Orleans Art Association National Show, New Orleans, LA
2023 - Northwest Region Landscape Award: 41st Annual Wallowa Valley Festival of the Arts Juried Exhibition, Joseph, OR
2023 - Special Merit Award: Art and Color 365 Magazine Landscape Competition
2023 - Pastel Society of North Carolina: 7th Annual Pure Color Online International Open Exhibition
2023 - Second Place, Contemporary Impressionism: Pastel Society of the West Coast Pastels USA - 99 Voices Int'l Open Exhibition, CA
2023 - Juror's Award: Northwest Pastel Society: 37th Annual International Open Juried Exhibition
2023 - Colorado Pastel Society: 19th Annual Mile High International Juried Exhibition
2022 - Chicago Pastel Painters Merit Award: Degas Pastel Society 19th Biennial National Exhibit
2022 - 40th Annual Wallowa Valley Festival of the Arts Juried Exhibition
2022 - Second Place Overall: Art & Soul of the Magic Valley National Art Competition
2022 - Pastel Society of the West Coast 36th Annual Pastels USA - 99 Voices International Open Exhibition
2022 - Northwest Pastel Society: 36th Annual International Open Juried Exhibition
2022 - Idaho Falls Arts Council 14th Annual National Juried Exhibition
2021 - Best of Show: Pastels Category, Art & Soul of Magic Valley
2021 - Best of Show, Avianne International Fine Art Gallery: Fearless
2020 - Degas Pastel Society 18th Biennial National Juried Exhibition
2020 - Northwest Pastel Society 34th Annual International Open Juried Exhibition
2019 - Rejoice in Art! Beauty of the Earth 2019 National Juried Exhibition
2019 - Winner, June Boldbrush Regram Weekly Contest
Publications:
2025 - Cover, Boise Weekly: Vol 33, Issue 24
2024 – Art and Color 365 Magazine: Fall 2024 Issue Vol 2, No 3
2024 -- Pastel Society of the West Coast Magazine: Fall 2024 Vol 16, Issue 3
2024 – Art and Color 365 Magazine: Spring 2024 Vol 2, No 1
2024 -- Art and Color 365 Magazine: Winter/Spring 2024
2024 -- CanvasRebel.com: March 4, 2024
2023 - Art and Color 365 Magazine, Fall/Winter Issue Vol. 1, No. 5
2023 - Art and Color 365 Magazine, Fall Issue Vol. 1, No. 4
2023 -- Art and Color 365 Magazine, Summer Issue
2023 -- Pastel Society of the West Coast Magazine: Vol 15, Issue 2 Fall 2023
2023 -- BeLocal eMagazine, February 2023 Issue
2022 -- Cover, Boise Weekly Vol. 30, Issue 55
2022 -- Pastel Society of the West Coast Magazine: Vol 15, Issue 1
2021 -- "Paddles Up" article 2, Boise Weekly: Vol 30, Issue 11
2021 -- "Paddles Up" article 1, Boise Weekly: Vol 30, Issue 10
2021 - Cover, Boise Weekly Vol. 30, Issue 02
2019 - Cover, Boise Weekly Vol. 27, Issue 51
2018 - Cover, Boise Weekly Vol. 27, Issue 06
Memberships:
Northwest Pastel Society Signature Member
Pastel Society of the West Coast Signature Member
Pastel Society of America, Associate Member
New Orleans Drawing Group
Treasure Valley Artist's Alliance (TVAA), 2019 - 2020 Board Member
Boise Open Studios Collective Organization (BOSCO), 2018 - 2020 Secretary
Education:
2024 -- IAPS: Liz Haywood-Sullivan Pastel Workshop
2024 -- IAPS: Jacob Aguiar Pastel Workshop
2024 -- IAPS: Natasha Isenhour Pastel Workshop
2023 - Pastel Live Online Conference
2022 -- Pastel Live Online Conference
2022 -- Albert Handell Pastel Workshop
2022 -- My Artrepreneur Program, Idaho Commission on the Arts
2021 - Pastel Live Online Conference
2019 - Desmond O'Hagan, Pastel and Oil Painting Workshop
2017 - Bonnie Zahn Griffith, Plein Air Pastel Workshop
1990 - BFA, Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame ID
