angela.jpgI've drawn and painted as far back as I can remember. My parents taught me to read before I started school; I spent hours reading about the great artists, copying their works, and creating my own.
My mom took me to classes as a kid growing up in St Petersburg FL. I chose a different career path...became a nurse, went to graduate school, worked in neuropsychology and brain injury rehabilitation.

I didn't travel until 2007. I remember my first trip to Hawaii...then Europe. For the first time I saw wild orchids, smelled thousand-year-old churches…the filtered light, the dust, the beauty and mystery and colors of markets, people, castles, ruins. The magnificence of Venice, the awe I felt going to my ancestors' cemetery in Saviano. The museums let me experience those paintings I'd only seen in books...it's something I'll never forget. I had to hold back tears as I stood in front of the works of Raphael, Botticelli, Manet, Van Gogh, Delacroix, Sorolla, countless others...I took thousands of pictures, hoping one day to capture those memories in pastel and oil.

Then came workshops...lots of workshops. I've been fortunate to study with Dan Gerhartz, Bill Farnsworth, Larry Smith, Anita Elder, Greg Beecham, Margaret Dyer, Kyle Ma, Suzie Baker, Bill Davidson. I learn so much from each of these brilliant artists.

And so at last the day has come for me to recreate some of those memories, reinvent others, and make new ones. We see, we study, analyze, problem solve; that's all part of it. What's just as important? Having fun doing it. Having someone feel something in front of my canvas. It is work, but also a joy.

Thank you for joining me on this beautiful journey. Buon Viaggio !