I began painting in 2016 while volunteering at the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy. Watching teens lose themselves in color and canvas stirred something in me - I had to try. That first brushstroke opened a door I didn’t know I needed.

At the same time, my husband, Tim, and I were building our home along East Otter Creek - a 60 acre wooded farm - we dreamed into being. Outside my barn studio, horses graze nearby in their pasture, while I paint surrounded by stillness and possibility.

Inside the studio, my art process is simple. I start with a quiet moment of prayer, a warm drink in hand and whatever music Alexa surprises me with. Then I sketch on canvas, gather my paints and sometimes layer in scraps of collage paper - following instinct, not rules.

It’s an honor to share this work. May these paintings land gently wherever they’re meant to live.