BIOGRAPHY
I have enjoyed a long and varied artistic career working in fashion, business, and fine art. While pursuing a degree in Fashion Design from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I independently developed and patented a novel method for producing decorative fabric. After earning my B.F.A. in 1984, I began my career in the women’s fashion industry at I.B. Diffusion. I later founded and ran an award-winning company specializing in luxury dog apparel.
In 2014, I began using oil-based paint as my primary medium, drawing from past experience to inform my technique and approach. I create large-format oil paintings, using the texture of the canvas and the layering of paint to evoke complex colors that highlight the interplay of light and shadow. The paintings I form and the process I follow reflects my own love of nature and the natural world.
I maintain a studio practice at the 16th Street Studios, 1405 16th St. Racine, WI 53403. My art is hanging in private collections throughout the United States.
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, ATHENS
B.S., Textiles
1976
THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
B.F.A., Fashion Design
1984
WORK EXPERIENCE
FASHION DESIGNER
I.B. DIFFUSION
1984-1988; 1989-1994
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
1988-1989
FOUNDER AND DESIGNER
CHIEN COATURE – LUXURY APPAREL AND ACCESSORIES FOR SMALL DOGS
2005-2015
SELECTED JURIES AND INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
2021
WASTE NOT
Uptown vacant building windows exhibit, Racine, WI
THE VITAL ART PROJECT, INVITATIONAL
Curator: Mimi Peterson
“The Little Black Dress”
“White Wedding”
RACINE AND VACINITY SHOW
Racine Art Museum’s Wustum Museum, Racine, WI
Juror: Diana Bolander
“White Wedding”
2022
FLOURISH: A National Juried Exhibition Featuring Floral and Botanical Artworks
d’Art’s Gallery, Norfolk, VA
March 19, 2022 - April 16, 2022.
Juror: Diane Hudson
“Pink Rose”
LIGHT & SHADE
Las Lagunas Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
APRIL 7, 2022 - April 30, 2022
Curator: Lori McBride
”Steel Vortex”
SURFACE: A National Juried Exhibition Featuring the use of textures and patterns
d’Arts Gallery, Norfolk, VA
May 28, 2022 - June 25, 2022.
Juror: Jorge A. Saenz
“White Chrysanthemum”
FLOWERS, TREES AND ROOTS: THE WILD WORLD OF PLANTS
International Exhibition
The View, the Center for Arts and Culture, Old Forge, New York
December 10, 2022 - March 6, 2023
”Pink Rose #2”
5TH FLOWER | INTERNATIONAL JURIED ART COMPETITION
Art Show International Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
December 22, 2022 - January 23, 2023
Curator: Indira Das
“Shadow Chrysanthemum”
Honorable Mention Award
2023
WATER | INTERNATIONAL JURIED ONLINE COMPETITION
Marin Society of Artists
San Rafael, CA
January 30, 2023 - March 31, 2023
“Pearl Slice”
FRESH 40 | WORK BY 40 NEW & ESTABLISHED SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN ARTISTS
Sponsored by Dominion Properties
Shorewood Hub, Shorewood, WI
June 3-4, 2023
“Black Slice”
“Pearl Slice”
“Gold Slice”
“Silver Slice”
“Ultramarine Slice”
THE DRAMA OF LIGHT AND SHADOWS
MVA Gallery
Bethlehem, PA
October 25 - November 22, 2023
“Golden Shadow”
2024
LIGHT, SHADOW & GRAVITY
Presentation to the Racine Art Guild
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts
Racine, Wisconsin
February 8, 2024
GO FIGURE! Perplexity/Confusion/Surprise/Puzzlement
Southeast Chapter/Wisconsin Visual Artists
Plymouth Arts Center
Plymouth, Wisconsin
March 8 - April 26, 2024
“Circles”
FRESH 40 2024 INVITATIONAL
Shorewood Hub Art Exposition and Sale
Shorewood, Wisconsin
April 11 - 14, 2024
“Water Lily #1”
“Water Lily #2”
“Water Lily #3”
“Water Lily #4”
“Chrysanthemum Still Life”
PUBLICATIONS
STUDIO VISIT: A juried selection of international visual artists
Volume 49; pp. 14-15.
Juror: Dominic Molton, Richard Brown Baker curator of contemporary art, RISD Museum of Art, Providence,RI
AWARDS
UNITED STATES LETTERS PATENT HOLDER
“Method for Producing Decorative Fabric”
U.S. Patent #4,187,592
February 12, 1980
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR AWARD
NEW YORK CITY PET FASHION SHOW
February, 2015