BIO

When I graduated from art school, I declared that I wanted to move from the Midwest and live by the ocean and raise dogs. I moved to Nantucket, Massachusetts, where I enjoyed painting and pheasant hunting with my English Springer Spaniel named Patches. My art became more and more focused on dogs. I hung my pen-and-ink dog portraits in the window of a Main Street office, where Nantucket visitors saw them and requested commissions. I named my business Petraits, Ink. Two of my portraits were featured on national dog magazines and dozens were made into greeting cards. After eight years of cold and fog, I left Nantucket for the Palm Beaches. My dog portrait business continued and my dog art was featured in several Palm Beach publications and exhibited at James Hunt Barker Gallery. Eventually, my art business evolved into Art Van Go, Inc. My studios in West Palm Beach and Lake Park were fantasy lands for creative children who came for after school programs, summer camps, and parties. In addition, the "Van Go" part of the business traveled to schools, libraries, clubs, non-profits, and shelters for children. When the pandemic prevented group activities, Art Van Go retired. So, back to the dogs! Once again, I am active in dog sports with my English Cocker Spaniel, Pinkerton. He has become my inspiration to create a new type of dog portrait: life-size, life-like, wood cut outs of dogs: "Pinkerton POP UPS."