A focus on beauty and hope at the beginning of the pandemic led me to draw, paint, and create mixed media art in my home studio in Hillsboro. Drawing inspiration from both urban and natural environments, I use a variety of paints, papers, photos, and mark making tools to create joyful and engaging pieces that explore abstract themes, textures, and details around my home and while traveling.  I enjoy using color, shape, contrast, and layers to draw the viewer in and invite careful examination of subtle details and complex visual textures. The layers are usually made up of hand painted and found papers and photographs, with fabric and added stitched elements often included, reflecting a lifelong love of textile arts such as quilting and needlework.