Both of my grandmothers were named Ida and they were both painters. They painted landscapes and still lifes in spare moments while raising big families during the Great Depression and WWII. Continuing where they left off I began painting when I was 14 and completed my first mural 10 years later. Other than learning how to make prints with potatoes at a summer fair, I am self-taught.

I'm a material girl, and I love the material world! I've sculpted with clay, made stained glass windows, sewed fabric costumes, designed and general contracted buildings for my community, made shadow puppet shows, painted murals. Most recently I am designing metal art.

I really feel the most inspired when I’m making art for the community. Being a public artist is like being an architect of mood. Public art can stir feelings and inspire connection, can anchor and identify a place. In my art I particularly care about promoting social justice, harmony between humans and our plant and animal relations, inviting individuals to join the community, belong to the place, and to shape our human story.