About | mysite

BIO: I was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio within a supportive Italian-American extended family where a strong drive toward art and creative endeavors was nurtured and encouraged at an early age. Richly layered childhood experiences fed my artistic sensibility and continue to inform my art. I was fortunate to be awarded a full scholarship to attend the Columbus College of Art & Design and earned a BFA in 1983 with a concentration in Studio Art/Oil Painting. I went on to earn K-12 Visual Art teaching credentials at Youngstown State University and am enjoying teaching High School art in Northern VA where I currently live (Leesburg) with my family. I have found that teaching informs and inspires my art making in surprising, delightful ways.

Since 2002, I have been exhibiting in local and regional shows, group and solo, in the Northern VA area. Aside from teaching, my resume includes a stint as an art-coordinator for a local non-profit (http://www.aplacetobeva.org/); in part working with people with differences/life challenges as an expressive art facilitator. In addition, I worked in the decorative art field as a free-lance artist. A highlight was participation in the historic renovation of the decorative art in Saint John the Apostle Roman Catholic Church Chapel in Leesburg.

This website records my work from 2016 to present. With the passing of my mother in 2016 I was drawn to abstract/expressive art in an attempt to address personal emotional content. I have recently returned to my realism roots to honor my Italian heritage with a series that supports a theme of commonality within diversity; we are all more alike than we are different.