Fun Facts

I am desperately passionate about painting. My idea of a perfect day involves sharing that love. Otherwise, you can find me playing the occasional fiddle tune and pampering my two (2!) black cats.
Autumn is my favorite time of year, but I love them all. What about you?

About Me

I've been teaching art and literacy for decades. For me, writing and painting are both about successful communication. My goal is to help people understand their passions and communicate them in a visual or verbal format. Or both. Whether you are an advanced practitioner or a brave new explorer, I help students like you enhance their art experience.

When I'm not tutoring, I teach in schools and community arts programs.

Experience

As an art teacher for local arts programs for nearly two decades, I have experienced the joy of helping students learn technique and expression in the arts.

As a literacy teacher and tutor for the same amount of time, I have helped students improve their writing, reading comprehension, and standardized test scores. I specialize in editing college-level work.

I also have training and experience as an instructor for students with learning disabilities, including but not limited to dyslexia.

Approach

In art school, I learned that the best professors take your point of view and kindly guide you along the path you have chosen for your work. I love to explore new ways of expressing and seeing with my students.

As a kindergartner, my teacher mistakenly moved me to an upper-level reading group. I became a high performer based on this accident. Looking back now, I think the kid sitting next to me was giving all the correct answers -- not me. Let's hope that kid eventually received recognition! This experience taught me that expectation and the quality of teaching determine a considerable amount of how well a student performs. Many years later, that placement has reverberated – I stayed in the 99% of verbal skills for the rest of my life. Yes, the capacity was there. But would it ever have shown up if I hadn't been given that first chance? We all deserve great instruction. Sometimes, the results can surprise us.