Work Experience

I view my life as a journey, and in retrospect I see that the broad spectrum of my professional experience has led me to where I am today. It has been said that it is difficult to make money as an artist; I believe this is because most artists do not have a business background. I feel I was blessed to start on the business side of art and move to work as a full-time artist, because that experience has given me a better understanding for working with my clients and a strong sense of their needs for their own business or lifestyle.

Cooking/Food

Since I was a small child I have been in and out of the kitchen, dreaming up recipes and reading cookbooks like they were novels. The world of food and cooking is where I feel most at home.

• Catering/ Event Planning: I started catering with a small company, then became a Catering Manager for the Radisson Norfolk Hotel where I was responsible for menu and space planning as well as set up and registration for convention events.
• Taught cooking for Girl Scouts of America; using a weekly dinner menu and preparing seasonal foods, teens completed menu planning, cooking and hosted a dinner party for their parents.
• Designed a line of corporate gift specialty food gift packs featured in Nordstrom’s “Gift to Go” promotion. 1987
• Culinary and Healing Herb Garden at Colonial Williamsburg; team member for project to rebuild this historic landmark.
• Created a line of recipe based greeting cards for Corvallis Home Tour, 2000.
• Currently creating a line of greeting cards for a food wholesaler.
• Self-published two gift cookbooks and line of recipe greeting cards.

Art/Home Décor

I have always been a collector of antiques, books and art, preferring to find the “worn” jewels and bring them back to life. I taught myself decorative painting as a way of reviving worn chests, tables and many garage sale small finds. Over the years, I dreamed of having my own shop, and the dream came true and when I opened Belle Maison in 1994. The shop was a delightful mix of displays I created from restored furnishings and comptemporary home decor items. Belle Maison clients asked me to create a new look in their homes using what they already owned and spotlighting Belle Maison items. As an artist, I have explored painting in a variety of ways, from painting on china to using water media and collage to represent my subject matter. Watercolor and collage has given me another opportunity to pursue painting for illustration of greeting cards, cookbooks and articles I have written. In addition, I have studied with master painters, Antonia Accock, Lavonne Tarbox Crone and Betty Carr.

• Refurbished painted furniture for resale since 1994.
• Taught painting, collage, stamping and paper art to school children and Girl Scouts.
• Commissioned through my store Belle Maison to offer home décor consultation and decorate client homes.
• My original greeting cards were featured by the Corvallis, Oregon Home Tour in 2003, and I have been commissioned to do specialty greeting card designs for local businesses.

Gardening

I have experimented in every phase of gardening, but particularly the introduction of garden fresh vegetables and herbs to the family table. I loved the planning, planting and harvesting of gardens and the challenge of using this bounty in the best possible way. I love teaching gardening to others and to experience them sharing in their pleasure and excitement over a finished project.

• Completed Horticulture Program through Norfolk Botanical Gardens. 1974 Working as a team member designed large garden displays and promotional packages to attract visitors to the garden.
• Taught continuing education classes in landscape design, propagation of plants and floral design
• Designed gardens for swimming pools, spas and promotional display
• Benton County Master Gardener volunteer for program community education projects

Writing

I have always had a natural curiosity about my world both professionally and personally leading me to write about those experiences. My professions have required writing for worldwide studies, marketing materials and promotional materials.

• Published poetry in Unity magazine with worldwide distribution. 1993
• Written newsletters and continuing education materials on forestry and horticulture for University of Washington, Oregon State University and Resource Economics since 1989.
• 2004, Edited and produced as part of a team world-wide studies in forestry for Resource Economics, LLC.
• As an owner wrote and prepared marketing materials for Northwest Picnics, a gift food company. Our promotions resulted in a television spot about women in local businesses.
• Since 2000, editor and writer for SkiTiger.com, a northwest ski report.
• Currently creating a line of greeting cards for a food wholesaler.
• Completed art pieces with poetry and writing combined with acrylic portraits for private collections.

Education

I am a life long student, taking classes on a variety of subjects professionally and personally that are of interest to me and to expand my own knowledge and business opportunities. I enjoy learning from experienced professionals in a variety of fields and will often schedule a meeting with someone I know who has expertise in an area of interest to me or I need information about.

• Completed a two year C.E.T.A.Horticulture and Landscape Design Program at Norfolk Botanical Gardens, Virginia 1974
• Liberal Arts studies,1975-76 Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
• 1990 completed Master Gardener’s Training Program, Benton County, Oregon
• Studied drawing, painting and collage at University of Washington and Linn Benton Community College
• 2003, private painting with master artists; Antonia Accock, Lavonne Tarbox Crone and Betty Carr
• Cooking classes at Western Culinary Institute, a Cordon Bleu Training School 2000

Volunteer/Charitable Work

Since 1996 I have been a Breast Cancer Survivor. During my treatment I fully appreciated the value of community and now mentor others with this disease during their treatment. I have always enjoyed participating in volunteer opportunities in communities with gardening/community beautification projects.

• Norfolk, Virginia Garden Club Historic Home tour, designed floral arrangements for historic home 1977
• Annual Auction for Children’s Hospital, Seattle, committee for site planning, selection of site and layout of facility use.
• Designed new marketing products for Convention and Visitor’s Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• Corvallis, Oregon Home Tour, House contact representative, selection and marketing of house to be displayed during home tour, liaison between promoters of tour and homeowner. 2003

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