I was born and raised in the heart of San Francisco. My mother was a great lover of art and theater. She brought us to art galleries, museums, and to the children's opera. She herself was an artist who at one time owned a small shop on Hampshire Street, San Francisco, where she taught china painting.

I attended Notre Dame High School, City College, Skyline College, San Mateo College and obtained my Bachelor Degree in Art with an emphasis on drawing and painting at San Francisco State University in 1983.

I began to explore many different media and disciplines, ceramics, jewelry, porcelain doll making and more. I got heavily involved in the craft arena. I established, owned and for ten years operated a successful business, Village Crafters, that showcased the works of artists and craftsmen.

In 1997, I began to seriously paint again. I attended intense painting workshops in the classic techniques of the Old Masters for four summers at the Liliedahl Fine Art Studio in Texas. Liliedahl is famous for her intense information packed workshops, which I have modeled my workshops after.

This inspired me to continue my education at the San Francisco Academy of Art University where I earned my Master of Fine Art degree in 2007.