Nature’s colors
inspire me.
Through my art, I celebrate the beauty of Virginia’s Eastern Shore!
My paintings reflect the spiritual connection I have with the natural world. I paint woodlands, creeks, marshes and wildlife.
More about me below!
The Eastern Shore of Virginia …
has rekindled my love of painting the natural world. I celebrate the beauty of this lovely place through my art.
The Shore has become my heart and my home.
Bayside to seaside, billowing clouds build and roll across this great Peninsula. On the Shore, every creature must yield to the changing tides and weather. At any moment, gray skies can give way to brilliant sunshine. Colors can appear suddenly then dissipate like mist. I am energized to paint the world I see and to capture its ever-varying hues.
In my paintings, portraying light is key. There is nothing so glorious as a sunrise over the blue Atlantic. It wakes the senses! Here, golden sunbeams stream through green forests at mid-day, bouncing light from tree to tree. Marshes catch the afternoon orange glow of the sun. And as twilight fades, pinks and purples guide shore birds to settle in for the night.
The Eastern Shore of Virginia is truly magical!
It is my joy to bring its color and light to all who see my paintings.
Exhibited in more than one hundred …
international and national exhibitions in the Americas, Asia and Europe, my artwork is held in private and public collections in the United States, Italy, Taiwan, India and Australia.
I earned an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) from East Carolina University in 2003 and studied for my undergraduate degree at Temple University in both Philadelphia and Tyler School of Art in Rome, Italy (1982).
Originally from Philadelphia, I have a diverse background in the for-profit and non-profit sectors in environmental education, social justice and fine art. I co-founded Jumbo Arts International and its companion publication, the Journal of Creative Arts and Minds. I have served on several Boards of Directors in PA, NC and VA, including the Pennsylvania Alliance for Environmental Education, the Arts Council of Red Springs, NC and the Friends of Onancock School in Virginia. A pioneer of ecotourism in the early 1990s, I worked for a decade throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America establishing community based tourism.
Prior to moving to Virginia, I taught digital art and photography at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan. With my husband and partner in life, John Antoine Labadie, I co-published the textbook Digital Art & Design: An Introduction, 3rd Edition (2021) Kendall Hunt Publishers. Together we have presented scores of workshops and lectures throughout Asia, Europe and the USA.