MEET THE ARTIST

Frequent moves throughout Oregon due to my father’s job gave me the opportunity to develop my outgoing personality as well as to appreciate different environments and feel comfortable in any situation—the perfect background for traveling and appreciating new landscapes. In contrast to constantly being uprooted from schools and homes, I had the stability of family and our ranches in northeastern Oregon. We spent every vacation and summer on them, tending to farm activities, working the cattle, and riding the wide-open range.

No wonder, then, that the land figures large in my paintings. I work in pen and ink, watercolor, acrylic, and oil. I find each medium lends its own way of expressing my vision of the world. But all carry commonalities. My bold use of color reflects my cheerful and upbeat nature. And a strong sense of the graphic keeps my works grounded while my interpretive application brings out a spiritual connection.

I see the landscape as a metaphor for the lives we live and the mysterious spiritual forces constantly at work. It takes on human characteristics for me, and as I take note of the intricate beauty displayed, I merge with it. As it struggles, so do I. As it changes, so do I. And as it embraces new life, so do I with joy unbounded. I am deeply tied to the spirit and beauty of the land, where I find a peaceful serenity.

I have been married to Craig Shaver since I was eighteen years old, and we have one son, Justin. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon in art education, with masters and travel studies in Europe and Asia, and taught art at the high school level. I furthered my studies at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, graduating from the Landscape Atelier immersion program in 2007.

My prints and original paintings are featured in private and corporate collections internationally. Prints of my work are available on an ongoing basis at the Oasis Gallery, 3644 Wallingford Ave. N., Seattle, WA., and I show original works at changing venues regionally. A former president of Eastside Association of Fine Arts, I continue my twenty-plus years of active involvement in this organization that supports artists at all levels of development.

I live in Redmond, Washington and take full advantage of the beautiful world at our doorstep through boating, camping, water sports, snow skiing, hiking, and a variety of other outdoor activities as a family.

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." - Ralph Waldo Emerson-

Hold onto the beautiful. Carry it with you always. And share that positive vision with each person you meet.