As a kid I drew as a hobby, but most of the time I was outside getting messy with mud pies or indoors with my nose in a book. As a student at Abilene Christian University, three professors (Robert Green, Dr. Brent Greene, and Jack Maxwell) changed my life forever. They believed I was an artist and told me so. I knew I belonged in the art department while my three mentors shaped and honed my skills. Just as I was about to graduate with my BFA in Painting and Graphic Design, things changed drastically when I was hospitalized and diagnosed with a traumatic illness. Experiencing subsequent healing has profoundly affected my art over the 30+ years that I have been creating. Themes that run through my work include the spiritual world in tension with the physical world, emotional freedom versus entrapment, and suffering leading to restoration and growth.