I have spent countless hours walking through the woods and prairies of Minnesota and Wisconsin since I was young. I have always loved plants. In the 1990’s, when I had a house full of young kids, I began to draw plants using Prismacolor pencils and illustration board. My subjects were the plants I learned about and photographed while hiking around the woods and prairies of Wisconsin with our young kids. Drawing, focusing on plants, colors, and shapes provided calm and peace amid a busy household.

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During a sabbatical from my teaching job in 2016, I enrolled in the Minnesota School of Botanical Art. There I found a warm and welcoming place to learn to paint plants. For a few years I took any classes that were offered on Saturdays.

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Learning to paint with watercolor was challenging! But more important than learning to paint, I found a warm community of people who have the same love for plants and appreciation of botanical art.

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Thanks to Marilyn Garber and the Minnesota School of Botanical Art I am still working on learning to paint; my subjects are the native plants that grow in my yard. I look forward to spending more time with my plants, and painting and drawing as I move closer to the next phase of my life.