Why I make art: I have a fascination with color, light, space, shape, movement, and the creative process. I’m always learning to look and learning to see. I love expressing my life experience through abstract expression. This best describes why I make art. I’m an inspired eclectic.

Background: I inherited the motivation to paint and draw from my mother, who was an art student. I also had ancestors, many whom were painters and designers. As a child I drew and painted. I moved on to cartooning and illustration in middle school in Rome, Italy. Back in California, I majored in art at Humboldt State University, graduating in 1973.

I entered the Peace Corps in 1973 and served in Guatemala until 1977. I continued to sketch and draw in an environment rich in color and experience. My assignment included developing educational illustrations and cartoons.

After the Peace Corps, I went on to graduate school at UMass in Amherst, Massachusetts, majoring in nonformal international education. This led me to work in Lesotho, in Southern Africa, with a local community education organization.

I retired from a 30-year career with the University of California in 2011. I’m now back to excogitating: creating art full time.