Tell about your life as a maker. 

Making art has been a lifelong passion. I studied fashion design at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in the evening after work. Much later, when my youngest child started school, I decided to learn how to paint. I found a teacher and mentor who taught me oil painting, replicating the techniques of the old masters. From start to finish, I used a pallet knife. No brushes were allowed to paint “eyelashes.” Studying with Troy for seven years, I found his methods and insights to be invaluable.

When asked to illustrate a children’s book, I began working with an illustrator who taught drawing and watercolor. Loving this new medium, I began making large paintings and eventually finished the illustrations for the book. Then, one day, out of the blue, a publisher offered me an illustration job after seeing my work in a gallery. Delighted with this new opportunity, I said, “yes”. Life is full of surprises. Looking for a way “out of the box”, I found Laurie’s workshops.