After a 30-year career as a Research Medical Director at both Duke University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina Medical Center, I retired in 2016 and stepped into a new chapter of creative exploration. What began as a single painting course at my local community college quickly became a profound and joyful calling. Art offered a different kind of inquiry—one guided not by data and structure, but by intuition, color, and emotional expression.

As I began participating in local exhibitions and selling my work, my artistic curiosity deepened. I immersed myself in exploring specialized areas of artistic expression, ultimately discovering a passion for abstract mixed media. The layering of texture, movement, and unexpected materials allows me to create work that feels both spontaneous and intentional—a visual dialogue between structure and freedom.

My growing commitment to the arts led to the founding of a cooperative gallery that brought together 26 artists working across a wide range of media, including oil, acrylic, furniture, jewelry, pottery, and other beautiful forms of creative expression. The gallery became a vibrant hub of collaboration and shared inspiration, celebrating diverse artistic voices while fostering a strong sense of community.

In 2019, my husband and I relocated to Mexico, where I later joined the Artists of Lake Chapala. This talented and dynamic group reminds me of the creative spirit we cultivated in our gallery in the United States. Their energy, skill, and camaraderie continue to inspire me, and I consider it a true joy to create alongside such a remarkable community of artists.