Self Portait in photo encaustic with embedded flowers

About Me

After obtaining an Associate's Degree in Professional Photography from the Southeastern Center for Photographic Arts in Daytona Beach, FL, I spent many years traveling and photographing in Europe. I have always been drawn to ancient world, and it was upon that world that for a period of time, I focused my lens. While working towards my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History at the American University of Paris, I had the great honor of participating in a one-year internship photographing the artwork and ancient artifacts for the Research Laboratories of the Louvre Museum. Within this fascinating institution, we were x-raying and photographing famous paintings, sculptures, ancient artifacts, and Pre-historic stone age tools. My travels eventually led me to the ancient archeological site of Tanis, Egypt where I worked as site photographer upon the site excavation and photographing the compelling ancient objects found therein.

After moving to Miami in 1996, I continued to immerse myself within photographing artwork – this time for local art galleries, collectors and an art auction house. It was the birth of my first child that spun my calling towards portraiture when a mother in my childbirth preparation class asked me to create maternity portraits. I felt as if my very own ancient Mother Goddess had come to life. At that moment, a new inspiration within me was conceived and my maternity portraiture became a passion. At one point, my work & I were featured on Discovery Health Channel.

The wanderlust however, has never disappeared. Camera still in hand, today I regularly hike & kayak throughout the Florida landscape – primarily Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, capturing the art of Florida's nature and animals. Photo Encaustics is an expansion of my nature photography and has allowed me to develop my images to a newer, creative level with collage, paints, pigments and wax. It's through the process of photo encaustics that I am able to ponder upon the state of Florida's imperiled wildlife and environment, and hopefully share that awareness with others.