Life happens! We can’t always control it.  But what if we could slow it down and change our experience of it through the power of art?  I am here to invite you to do just that!
I believe that whether we are looking at it or creating it, art makes time stand still.  We enter a state of flow where our everyday selves disappear, and our extraordinary selves emerge.  That’s when we discover we each have a “creative well” — a never ending source of inspiration, courage and fresh ideas.  When we come back to “real” time, we are changed, and so is our perception of life. We are fortified, renewed, and eager to act on our highest visions and dreams.
Please join me in this wonderful time-bending exploration of art.  Sign up for my newsletter (see the form to the right!). And follow me on Facebook!
My Story
My love affair with art began when I was a little kid listening to my mother read aloud from Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem “The Swing.” The words were nice, but it was the illustration that had an amazing effect on me.
One look at that simple line drawing of a little girl on a swing, and suddenly it was as though she was me! I actually felt as if I were the one who was flying “up! Up in the air so blue!”
That was an experience I never came down from, for in that moment I knew I had to be an artist! To make pictures that could make other people feel such magic—that was my heart’s desire! From then on I spent every spare moment drawing and painting.
But then (classic story) I grew up and had to make a living. I was persuaded that art was no way to do that. So drawing and painting took a back seat to my “real job” which, lucky me, turned out to be creative too.
For 20 plus years, I worked as a creative supervisor for major New York ad agencies, writing and producing magazine ads and TV commercials. Eventually I started acting in them.  It was great because I got to work with many talented designers, directors, artists and writers who helped shape my own artistic vision and ideals.
And at last I was able to fit in formal art classes!  I studied with masters of both classical and contemporary painting traditions and  began to get shows and gallery representation. It seemed my lifelong dream came true: I was now a full time painter!
But there was a downside to all this too.  For years I had endured major stress from the extremely competitive nature of my work and my own perfectionism.  With job pressures, family pressures, and me trying to juggle it all by burning the candle at both ends, my poor body broke down and I developed a life-threatening blood disorder.
My life became scary and unpredictable. I needed to  always be within range of hospital emergency rooms. I would have given anything to have gone back and do things differently!  Yet I was stuck in this difficult wrinkle of time.
I began to seriously investigate alternative methods of healing, because while the medical treatments I was receiving were palliative they had horrible side effects and did not “cure”.  
To help myself I learned about Chinese Traditional Medicine, Ayurveda, and took trainings in newly emerging energy techniques like EFT.  Each had a positive impact on my well being, but was not the whole answer.
That came when one day I returned from the hospital, better but still not “well”.  A painting I had started was still on the easel and my oil paints had not yet dried out.
Suddenly I picked up a brush dipped it into a big glob of paint and began to smear it all over my canvas.  I painted out all the anger, fear and frustration I was feeling inside.
I ruined the lovely fruit and flowers still life I had been working on, but something way more powerful emerged: Time seemed to stand still, and in that space I could actually feel something shift inside.  
Day after day I continued to paint from this place of timelessness. I began to feel stronger and stronger.  Soon my blood tests began to come back normal. I felt better than I had in years.
I came to call my painting process Inner Explorations, and once I started using it, not only my health but my entire life began to improve. This led me to seek a deeper understanding of creativity and its connection to well being so I could authentically teach this to other people.  
Ultimately, I became multiply-certified in the science of applied positive psychology practitioner (CAPP), and started Creative Well Coaching so that everyone can experience what I did– and still do: the transformative power of art blended with best researched practices to create  positivity and change.
Through my workshops and coaching programs for groups and individuals, I have helped people from all walks of life come into new relationships with the major issues of their time:  health challenges, career transitions, shifting relationships. Each person gets to experience the sense of flow where time stands still, clarity comes in and fresh inspiration can be found for taking the next steps toward creating their next chapter.  
Today, my time is filled, happily and healthfuly, with my coaching practice and making paintings which are enjoyed in private collections, galleries and corporate offices across the US and in Europe.
In my spare time, I love to be in nature. I volunteer with organizations dedicated to preserving and improving natural environments, especially in urban landscapes. Another joy of mine is cooking! I savor every moment of selecting and preparing fresh organic food. I love “inflicting” healthy meals on my wonderful husband Jerry, who grudgingly admits they taste great!