For over forty years, butterflies have appeared throughout my work—first as quiet symbols of beauty, and gradually as emblems of transformation.

My paintings, in oil, mixed media and on the computer explore the delicate balance between structure and flight, realism and abstraction. I am drawn to the way color and texture can evoke movement, layer by layer, I build surfaces that suggest both fragility and endurance.

This body of work is a visual record of time and change. Each butterfly carries with it a memory of a certain period in my life, a reflection of evolving technique and perspective. 

After earning a B.A. in Art from California State University, Sacramento in 1976, I set out to make a living as an artist and moved to New York City. While completing my graduate studies at Pratt Institute, I adapted to life on the Upper East Side in a tiny railroad apartment—with the bathtub in the kitchen and a drawing table squeezed beside it.

Days after receiving my Master of Fine Arts, I founded ME Design Studio on Madison Avenue—an enterprise that began in a closet-sized sublet within an advertising agency. Fueled by meager funds, fierce naïveté, and the will to survive, I started cold-calling potential clients. To my surprise, publishing companies began to respond.

This was the era of graphic design before computers: when creativity depended on T-squares, mechanical pencils, rubber cement, transfer letters, and a lot of patience. Through trial, error, and persistence, I taught myself the craft—studying books, attending classes, and joining design clubs to refine my skills.

My fascination with design is rooted in my love for art and art history. I find inspiration walking through galleries, libraries, and museums—holding imaginary conversations with artists, both living and long gone. Art education and graphic design have sustained me professionally, while painting remains my lifelong passion. Whether working in watercolor, oil, or digital media, I continue to explore a pictorial language that defines me as a human being and allows me to contribute, in my own way, to the ongoing conversation of art.