The balancing of art and science has always factored into my life. My nursing career precluded any
serious art endeavor, but the skills and art principles I learned while dabbling with various methods
and materials paved the way for several enduring art forms.
The first was the art and science of Bonsai. There was no resource for tropical Bonsai in Miami, FL at
the time so I founded and published Work Tropical Bonsai Forum Magazine. This was a full-color,
quarterly publication with worldwide subscribers and contributors.
When Hurricane Andrew destroyed my house and nursery, I moved to Destin and began to dabble in
Papier mâché and ceramics. When a decorator friend asked me if I could make some art tiles for a
project she was working on, my career in architectural ceramics was born. After a move forced me to
quit the tile business, I started making jewelry.
Eventually, I learned how to weave very fine sterling silver and copper wire around semi-precious
stones. A repetitive injury to my wrist interrupted wire weaving, and I was at a loss as to what to do
during the months of healing. I happened upon a video of someone pouring paint onto canvas. After
she dumped the paint, she tilted the canvas and poured off a lot of the paint until the colors arranged
themselves into patterns. I was hooked. Four years, much paint, and many canvases later, I still find
this new art form and all its techniques and possibilities a joyous addiction.
