I’ve lived in Fairbanks for over 20 years. My husband, children, dogs, fish and hundreds of birds that we feed all winter long share a plywood palace located 20 miles northwest of Fairbanks. We have long winters where the sun shines low on the horizon. I spend a lot of time shoveling snow and splitting wood. My family downhill skis and snowboards at the local areas. The dogs and I log hundreds of miles on nearby trails every year, skijoring in winter and hiking in summer. Summer is brief and intensely packed with almost 24 hours of daylight.
We have gardens scattered all over the property. They hold a variety of flowers and vegetables that I grow from seed in the basement under lights beginning in late winter. I’m a soccer mom, complete with SUV. We camp. We fish. We boat. Summer is a blur.
I came to Alaska in 1986 after graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Fine Arts. I wanted to explore life in the far north and continue my art, so I lived briefly on Kodiak Island; then in Juneau. I had my brush with “starving artist syndrome.” During my year stay in Juneau, I was a volunteer art teacher at one of the local elementary schools...
Two years later, Alaska State Teaching Certificate in hand and very much in love with Fairbanks, I began a career in education. My 6th grade classrooms became an extension of my passion for art, complete with mini-galleries and an endless stream of art projects throughout the year.
After taking a break from clasroom teaching when I became a mom in 1992, I rejoined the teaching ranks during the 2009-2009 academic term.
I hope you find joy and beauty from the world that I see and draw.
