My journey into painting has been a magical one. I had always secretly felt there was an artist in me but it took a mid-life corporate layoff to give me the courage to find out. I threw myself into painting and discovered my life purpose of doing ‘Soul Work’.

I only wanted to paint people. They were frequently dressed in costume and had a bit of “other-worldliness” about them.

A year later I started to feel that if people came and sat for me that I would get ‘intuitive information’ about them, without interviewing them. I thought it was nuts but the idea would not go away, and in fact grew stronger until I knew I had to try it. After a couple of successful practice runs, Soul Portraits were born and I was off and running.

The Process: Clients come to my studio for a photo shoot (or I work from a photo). One significant distinction is I do not interview my clients and prefer to know little about them.

After their sitting, I go through a meditative process to “call in” imagery for their highest good.  I trust completely that what is revealed is meant specifically for them tell people “I am just delivering the mail”.

My 100+ clients have had a very personal and potentially profound response to their portraits. I’ve witnessed tears, laughter and hours of remarkable in-depth interpretations and I am deeply moved. The common thread to these portraits is that they capture a person’s essence and help people remember who they are.

When I began painting, I was truly amazed; not only by the meaningful imagery, but also that I could paint like this. I consider myself self-taught. For me, it just adds to the miraculous nature of this healing and emotionally significant work.

Six years later, I began doing the same process with animals. My clients have not only resonated with the imagery but have said that I absolutely captured their pet. This has been particularly comforting for those grieving their deceased companions.

After 9 years of painting in oil, I spontaneously switched to acrylic. I love working in acrylic for the speed and options for mixed media. And most importantly, it is less toxic to work with.

I painted puppies for my own pleasure and soon I was doing Traditional Pet Portraits. These do not have the intuitive imagery but effectively capture the animal’s soul.

Many people said the Soul Portraits reminded them of Tarot cards. This lead me to create a “Personal Inquiry Card Deck” which has a Portrait on one side and a thought provoking inquiry question on the back. A great tool for the introspective types. Many have told me they use the deck as a conversation starter. (see the nav bar for more)

For 2 years I became obsessed with making these quirky dolls that I called “JuJu PeePs. Each was unique and none were pretty. I think that’s why people loved them. They each had a healing message.

I created an online greeting card site called “Make it Real” e-cards. That segued into a popular, physical Greeting Card line. A selection of cards are available for purchase from this site under “Greeting Cards” in the nav bar.  They are also for sale in my studio or the MarinMOCA museum store.

The collage cards were begging to be put into a book so I created “Soul Stirrings”. It’s 86 pages of quirky art with quotes and my “nuggets o’ truth” about each subject. May they invite inspiration and introspection, as well as acceptance and appreciation of our humanness. Available in my studio or see nav bar for preview and purchase option.

I later created “Soul Stirrings II”.