Art and Science have always been part of my life. Botanical art is an intersection between those two worlds.

I grew up drawing, playing in fields, and growing flowers. Being out in nature has been my safe place when life is hard. In high school I took as many art classes as my schedule would allow. I was even the Sterling Scholar in art. I took a few art classes in college, but ultimately did not major in it. I stopped painting altogether when my children were small. My medium was Oil, and too many paintings were destroyed by curious little fingers.

Several years ago, I purchased a house with a large, overgrown garden. I began researching the plants and how to take care of them. It was a big task. To make the job easier, I enrolled in the Master Gardener program offered by Utah State Extension, our local land grant university. This was my first real taste of botany, and I was hooked.

Fast forward a few years. I know the plants in my garden well, many of them are native to Utah. I started photographing them, arranging them, giving them as gifts to friends. One day I stumbled upon a painting of an artichoke by Elaine Searle. I was so inspired by this elegant painting; I began to teach myself watercolor so I could create botanical art too. Watercolor fit into my life much better than oil (fast drying time, no solvents, easy to stop at a moment’s notice), and I finally had a separate space to work in.

I enrolled in the only accessible botanical art program I could find: The Distance Learning Diploma course by the Society of Botanical Artists, an old school, snail mail, assignments in a binder, handwritten notes course. I graduated from the Society of Botanical Artists Diploma Course with Distinction (the highest level of diploma they award) in 2023. That same year, I was invited to be a Fellow Member of the Society of Botanical artists, an elite, worldwide group of artists. One of my paintings, White Springbeauty, was included in the Plantae 2024 catalog.

I am a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists and have a painting in their traveling exhibition Curious Allies, which is currently on display at the New York Botanical Gardens, and will travel to Tucson, Minneapolis, and Denver.

I am also a member of the Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists. I am on the communications committee and put together a quarterly newsletter. My Red Elderberry painting is on display in a traveling exhibition put on by the RMSBA in Montana.

I now have six children, seven chickens, a half-acre garden in the Salt Lake Valley, and forty acres of mountain property in central Utah. My kids are all in school now, so finding time for my art is a bit easier than it used to be. I find myself drawn to the native plants, bees, and butterflies of Utah and hope to use my art to educate others about the amazing plants that call Utah home, as well as aid in their conservation.