Wildflower Bouquet Painting

I grew up in central Illinois, and spent most of my free time hiking, gardening, reading, and drawing. Some of my earliest memories are of drawing, and I would sketch on whatever was at hand, which sometimes got me into trouble. My degree is in Biology, and that knowledge of structure and function has informed my art. After college, I lived in Toledo, Ohio, where the accessible art museum, botanical garden, Metro Parks, and supportive artist community fed my love of nature and art. I spent over a year there working intensively with ceramics, and several years dying and spinning wool to sell in an online shop. I've also lived briefly in the eastern and southern US, and spent as much time in the mountains there as I could, my heart filling with joy every time I found a wild columbine or trillium. Now, living in southwest Florida, I'm learning about the local flora and sneak away to the swamp to scan the branches for bromeliads and orchids, marveling at the variety. I love to snorkel and watch the brightly colored fish dart in and out of reefs. All these contrasting natural worlds compel me to reproduce and reinterpret them. I'm only myself when I'm in nature or creating. I suppose I am self-taught, but I feel that is an inadequate descriptor. I have learned by doing, but I've also learned from books, from dear friends, from observation, and from nature.