I was born and raised in South Central Montana, which gives me the distinction of being an actual “Montana Native.”  Many people come from all over the country to experience our “western” lifestyle but we lived that on a daily basis.  My family ranched in the area long before I came along so I was fortunate to have opportunities that many people now spend great sums of money to experience.  I think that you will see that western influence in many of my designs

 Growing up I divided my time between wanting to be a teacher or a famous artist, since the “famous” didn’t seem to be forthcoming it’s a good thing that I chose to become an artist and a teacher.   I come from a long line of very creative people, my father is a sculpture and my mother is a very talented seamstress and loves to do needlework.  My family fostered in me a love for art and creative expression that I try to impart onto my students today. I’m a 27 year teaching veteran having taught in various grades as a classroom teacher for 23 of those years and the past 4 years I’ve had the pleasure to teach the Elementary Art Program at my school.   I feel that my teaching career has been very rewarding but feel so fortunate to now be able to teach my students about my love of art and creativity.  To see the uninhibited creative expression come from a student is both enlightening and fulfilling.   When I see my students jump right into a project that I’ve designed for them and amaze me with their imaginative ideas that take the project onto the next level I must say that I am thrilled.

The projects that you will find shown here are kid tested and developmentally appropriate as well as based on the National Standards.  I’ve used my years of experience to develop projects that incorporate the art curriculum into the regular education curriculum that children will find creatively stimulating and will be learning something at the same time.  It is important to allow opportunities for children to incorporate their own creativity into the project while adhering to the required elements that you as the teacher set up.  If you develop your projects allowing for flexibility you will find that your students will shine.