I’m most inspired when I’m working with my hands—feeling the warmth of wax, the rough edge of wood, or the texture of something found and forgotten.

As a retired art educator, I spent many years nurturing creativity in others, always putting my students first. Teaching taught me that art connects people in ways words cannot, and that spirit continues to guide everything I make. Now, I create art for myself—encaustic paintings and sculptures that explore memory, transformation, and our shared desire to feel seen. My work combines natural and found materials—wood, beeswax, bark, rust, and thread—to express the quiet resilience of nature and the beauty found in imperfection. My sculpture Tequmah was recently invited into the permanent collection of the Museum of Encaustic Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I am a juried 3D artist with The Best of Missouri Hands and a member of Southern Missouri Arts Connection, and I serve on the board of the Lake Arts Council, coordinating student and community exhibitions. My work reflects the textures, rhythms, and quiet strength of Missouri’s natural landscape.