Originally from Hutchinson, Kansas, I graduated from Kansas State University in 2005 with a BFA. During my undergraduate years I studied abroad in Italy. Loving the Mediterranean light of Florence, I sought after a location for graduate school that would compliment my newfound artistic sensibilities. Upon graduating from Kansas State I traveled west to California to attend Laguna Beach College of Art and Design where I graduated in 2008 with a MFA in painting. Currently, I live and work in Laguna Beach, California with my husband Jason Kowalski.

My work is inspired by but not limited to beaches, wilderness canyons, farmed valleys inland, and structures that define urban territories. I am always in search of a creative composition. I create landscapes that depict both compelling and irresistible space. In my work, I have chosen to pursue a style of painting that is both abstract and realist. I hope that the viewer finds the setting familiar thus connecting with my painting. I intend for my paintings to have dream like characteristics where space becomes real and imaginative, humorous, and alluring. Ultimately, my aim is to have series of work that transcends a mere portrayal of the landscape itself but also appeals to ones perception of fantasy and emotion.