I have been joyfully involved with art in one form or another from an early age.  But as an adult I took a particular interest in portraiture working in pastels and colored pencils.  Then one day on a trip to Niagara Falls I saw a hard shelled gourd that was painted in delicate colors.  It was charming and when I came home I sought out a dried gourd and began to work with it.  From this I I found a group of gourd artists and became the director for several years. We did everything imaginable with gourds. Our goal was to show that gourds could be fine art and not just Santas and bird houses. We incorporated beading, basketry, sculpture, wire work and so many other materials into our gourd art and my artistic horizons expanded constantly. While director I taught pyrography and all the members of my group trained to become master judges for competitions.  I entered many of these myself and took dozens of blue ribbons for my work.  I sold my art in juried shows and did well. After 5 years I stepped down to travel a bit.  Then one day while shopping I saw a little figure made of felt that had been formed with the use of specialized needles. From there my passion for needle felting began.  I am a prolific creator of dolls and creatures in wool as well as producing dolls in polymer clay which also began with my interest in clay on gourds.  I design and sew their costumes by hand.  I have so many other interests that challenge my creativity such as designing original patterns for children's sweaters that I knit or crochet and I also use my patterns for bead work on a loom. I draw all sorts of subjects and work with mixed media.  I'm constantly expanding my repertoire of work as my interest in all forms of art is ever expanding.  I teach when I can because I love to share what I learn with others especially programs for women which I contribute to often.  I expect to continue adding to my list of creations forever.  I love to create.  It's who I am.