I was born outside the sleepy New England town of Winchendon, Massachusetts. I was an only child and lived in the woods with parents that had turned their backs on the world. My mom came from a weird irish family and my dad was a Russian defector. Both of them were trying to create a new life for themselves while trying to forget the crueler world they had known. Growing up, I spent a lot of time drawing, coloring and walking in the woods, making up stories of adventure, travelling gypsy stories, Lost in Space, Cowboys and Indians (where the Indians won).When I was 7 my father hurt his back at work very badly and things began to change. My mother went back to work, and after a few years and 2 back operations, the doctor told my father to move to a warmer climate, Florida or Arizona. They chose Florida. It was a big adjustment for me. I think looking back, I fell into a depression because the climate and people were so different. I retreated more into my imagination and kept drawing and painting. My father died in a unrelated accident when I was 14 and it was then I learned that you had to live your life to it’s full potential each day, there was no sense in waiting for retirement. It was at this time that I decided to become an artist, because it was the one consistent thing in my life, something that never left me and I got extra credit at school which helped me pass those difficult math classes. I graduated from Ringling School of Art and Design in 1983 and had good intentions to move to New York and work as an Illustrator. 2 things kept me in Florida however, my boyfriend and my mother who was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. So I opted for graphic design, moved to Orlando, Florida, with my mother, where my boyfriend (later to become my husband) lived. My mom passed away in 1985, after difficult battle with cancer. I spent the next 10 years working for myself as a freelance designer, working at various advertising agencies, and corporations doing graphics. At age 30 I started really painting and took lessons from a great contemporary French Fauvist artist, Marco Bronzini. He gave me confidence and fine-tuned the skills I had been developing all my life. I slowly became a full-time painter, doing art shows all around the country. Currently, I live in Apopka, FL with my daughter, who loves to dance, paint and draw. I have the same artist husband with a great art talent and talent to make you laugh plus 2 cats. You may find me painting from time to time at Café Tú Tú Tango in Orlando, at a gallery show or behind my computer doing some graphic design. Perhaps I will see you in person or through the web soon!
