I was born and raised in coastal Maine. I grew up riding my banana seat bike through backyard fields with no helmet and often no shoes. I sent my Barbie dolls on their way down the creek in our backyard where a gigantic willow bowed down. I spent my days on beaches and forests and up in many a backyard tree. I was lucky to have family who read wildly imaginative books to me when I was young and encouraged creativity and getting dirty from dawn until dusk. My art supplies, cassette player, and bicycle were my reliable friends. I spent lots of time with my grandmother who encouraged me to roam the flea markets in slow motion and comb through every box as there may be "something" I had never seen before. I can recall being at the beach with my mom when she would pick up rocks to find something in them like people find in clouds. Perhaps it was a rock that looked like a whale or a rock that looked like a map to a treasure trove of jewels. Throughout my days I have noticed life deeply-- how it moves, grows, changes, smells, transforms, and fades away. I brush paint on wood and look and look for that "something" I may not have seen before...........