Wild Grove Designs                                                                                

Teacher – artist — golfer – pilot — hiker – traveler – dancer — lover of nature and the outdoors, from ground to sky,  I want to investigate  it all.

My love of nature, and joy of place, compels me to photograph and  paint the landscape, capturing the light, shadows and colors that move me.  Growing up in Nebraska, I loved the wide open lands and began trying to recapture that magical moment that caught my attention.  Now retired in Arizona, I have hiked in nearly every desert and mountain range in Arizona and Utah.   Re-capturing those scenes in pastels is my main passion.  I also love creating jewelry, from the earth metals of silver, bronze and copper as well as fused glass.

Originally a high school history teacher, and then an elementary Art Teacher, I enjoyed the experimentation of all media.  My art has received some awards, the most recent was from the Arizona Pastel Artists Association in their 2013 Fall Show. 

My journeys and love of challenges has led me to earn my pilot’s license and pilot a Cessna 180,  fly a powered parachute,  hike over 350 miles throughout Arizona, and zip-line down Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana.  I won’t jump out of an airplane, though.                                            

RECENT HONORS AND AWARDS:

• Arizona Pastel Artists Association Fall Show, October, 2013 – Honorable Mention from Juror Robert Carstens

RECENT JURIED EXHIBITIONS:

• Arizona Pastel Artists Association, 2014 Spring Show, Sedona, AZ, April 19 - 30, 2014
• West Valley Arts Council, "Floral Art & Botanical Illustration" show, February 21 - March 21, 2014
• West Valley Arts Council, “Animals, Animals” Juried Exhibition, January 10 to February 19, 2014

• Glendale Gallery Westgate Exhibition, West Valley Arts Council, November 1 – December 1, 2013
• Surprise, AZ City Hall Exhibition November 2013 Juried Show, October 8 – December 20, 2013
• Arizona Pastel Artists Association 2013 Fall Juried Show, Scottsdale, AZ,  October, 2013
• Arizona Pastel Artists Association 2013 Spring Juried Show, Sedona, AZ,  April 2013
• Arizona Pastel Artists Association 2012 Fall Juried Show, Scottsdale, AZ,  October, 2012

RECENT EVENTS:

• WHAM Ongoing Exhibit, WHAM Art Center, Surprise, AZ
• Recycle Exhibit, WHAM Community Art Center, Surprise, AZ,  November, 2013
• PebbleCreek Creative Arts Festival, Goodyear, Arizona, October, 2013

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

• Arizona Art Alliance – Juried Member, 2010 to present
• Arizona Pastel Artists’ Association, 2011 to present
• WHAM Art Movement – 2013
• West Valley Arts Council – 2013
• President, PebbleCreek Art Club, 2013-2014
• Art League West, 2010-2013
  
• Nebraska Art Club Association, 1995 – 2006, Board Member, 1998

Workshops/Mentors

• Robert Carstens, Arizona Pastel Artists Association, Scottsdale, AZ, October, 2013
• Kathryn Tartaglia, Watercolor, PebbleCreek Art Club, Goodyear, AZ, June, 2012
• Liz Kenyon, Pastel, PebbleCreek Art Club, Goodyear, AZ, February, 2013
• Terri Ford, Arizona Pastel Artists Association, Scottsdale, AZ, Spring, 2013
• Liz Kenyon, Pastels, Scottsdale Artists School, Scottsdale, AZ,  Fall, 2012