Welcome to Where Botanical Art Comes to Life

I didn’t begin my photography journey with a grand plan to become an artist. In many ways, photography found me.

My earliest memory of seeing the world through an artist’s eyes happened when I was about ten years old in Great Falls, Montana. The river had flooded our neighborhood, and my parents and I walked back in to see what was happening. We probably shouldn’t have been there. We were eventually chased out, but I remember something very clearly. As the water slowly crept across a freshly plowed field, the evening light caught the surface just right. There was a deep unease knowing our home might flood, but at the same time it was incredibly beautiful. That moment stayed with me.

After the waters receded, I bought a small Kodak Pocket Instamatic camera and began photographing everything around us. The water lines on the walls, the damage in the house, and the quiet aftermath. I didn’t realize it then, but I was trying to capture not just what I saw, but what it felt like.

Photography drifted in and out of my life for many years. Then life changed in ways I never expected. Before my husband passed away, he gave me a macro lens after seeing me photographing in our backyard garden. That lens became a turning point.

After he was gone, I spent hours in the garden we had built together. Every evening after work and every weekend, I photographed flowers, leaves, light, and the small details most people walk past. I didn’t know it at the time, but photography was helping me find my way through grief.

What surprised me most was when people began telling me how peaceful my images felt. At first I didn’t understand that. I was searching for peace myself. But when I looked closely at the images, I realized something. The softness, the quiet light, and the simple compositions were my way of translating peace.

Photography became both my refuge and my voice.

Today my photography celebrates the quiet beauty found in nature. Those small, fleeting moments of light, color, and form invite us to slow down, breathe, and see the extraordinary beauty that surrounds us every day.

I never imagined that photography would eventually lead me to watercolor, but in many ways it was a natural next step.

For years I found myself drawn to flowers, not simply because they were beautiful, but because I saw them as having personalities. Some stood confidently. Some leaned gently toward another. Some appeared joyful, while others seemed quiet, resilient, or contemplative. Through my camera, I discovered those stories. Through watercolor, I have the freedom to tell them.

While my photography celebrates the beauty and peace I find in nature, my watercolor paintings explore something deeper. They reflect the connections that shape our lives. Each flower becomes a reminder of the people we love, the friendships we cherish, the strength we find in one another, and the emotions that make us human.

Whether I’m creating a photograph, a painting, or a piece designed to be carried, displayed, or given as a gift, my hope is always the same. That my work reminds you of someone you love, encourages you to see yourself in a new way, and helps you celebrate the connections that make life meaningful.