I have loved animals since I was a little girl! My interest in both animals and art began when I was just 7 years old. I had a little ‘Scottie’ dog and used to draw and paint pictures of her! I never had any formal training except for High School Drawing and Painting classes. That’s when I started to develop some of my skills as an artist. I loved to draw animals that I saw in photo books using colored pencils and I was only interested in drawing realistic pictures. At twenty five I started to paint on wood and I became a pretty good sign painter! For years I painted very primitive paintings of Cats and other animals on wood. My love of animals has always been the focus of my artwork but now I can see how much my paintings have evolved and become more realistic. I have been painting for many years and through out the years I’ve had many animals. Each one was special to me but unfortunately as I got older so did my pets. I had a difficult time loosing them and realized that I needed to paint them, each of them to keep their memory alive. So far I have painted 8 of my pets and still have a few more to paint! It’s brought me great joy to have been able to paint each of them and I feel that although they are gone they are not forgotten.  And that’s when I realized that I needed to continue painting pets. My friends and family saw the paintings of my own pets they immediately knew I had met my calling, by word of mouth I began getting orders for custom pet portraits. After a while I’ve realized that I have a gift because sometimes there are paintings that even I can’t believe I’ve painted. They really look just like the animal! I’m receiving more commissions than I’ve ever imagined! It’s going on 5 years that I’ve been painting pet portraits professionally and I’m so grateful for this talent and I believe I have it because I love and appreciate animals so much! They bring so much joy to my life and to many other peoples.  I can paint a realistic painting as long as I have a detailed photo of the pet! I know when I’ve done a good job when I deliver a painting and the customer cry’s when they see it! They say the painting looks just like their pet! Recently, I’ve designed a line of Pet Angels and Pet Memorials because everyone wants to pay tribute to their pet. Being a dedicated animal lover and artist and I’m committed to designing and painting animal art as long as I’m on this earth. In the future I’m looking forward to painting them on a larger scale; murals with Animal themes and would like my paintings featured in children’s books and greeting cards.  I’m inspired by other artists work and spending time with animals.

 I’m also an animal activist and volunteer for ‘Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary’, mainly I help promote the group and spread the word to help animals. I give 10% of the proceeds of my portraits to Our Companions. 

 I live with my husband, Mike, and our two labs; Mario, and Dalton, who were both rescued from shelters. I'm a dedicated volunteer for Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary. Even my dog Mario has volunteered. We were certified with Delta Society for Pet Therapy, visiting hospice patients and a childrens hospital. Mario has since retired from PetTherapy work and enjoying his senior years. I've grown very close to my dogs over the years. They are special beings and I know they are here for a reason! 

 One of my favorite quotes:
 Dogs are not our whole life...but they make our LIVES WHOLE!  by Roger Caras