Biography
I am a third generation Arizonan born in Prescott and raised in Rimrock. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of helping my family ranch and farm along the beautiful Beaver Creek. Most of my free time was spent exploring Beaver Creek, its tributaries and the surrounding Verde Valley on horseback. The valley was amazing because there was never a lack of new things to explore! There were unique geological formations of limestone, colored sandstone and ancient lava flows, caves, canyons with vertical walls, winding arroyos, mesas, high vistas and hidden valleys, rivers, streams, springs, artesian wells and swimming holes, ancient Indian ruins, turn of the century structures abandoned by ranchers, farmers, merchants, miners, cavalry, outlaws and gangsters, mesquite bosques, cottonwood groves and juniper forests and abundant wildlife.
I attended Beaver Creek Elementary and during a film project made in celebration of the school's centennial I was one of the lucky students chosen to interview Eulalia “Sister” Bourne author of several books including Ranch Schoolteacher. We visited the site where the school had been located along Walker Creek where she taught her very first class, then a site not far from the school's current location. I found a small object in the soil and when I asked her what it might be she replied that it looked as though I had found a piece of one of her old corsets. The fact that only a fragment remained was a good indicator of what 'the Woman in Levis' thought of corsets! The film produced by the students from Beaver Creek School is part of the Sharlot Hall Museum collection.
When my family gathered each year to celebrate my great grandmother's birthday, I would get a chance to meet Larry Toschik, a relative and a prominent artist and illustrator. I always brought a drawing to give to my sweet ‘Granny” for her birthday and it was a great inspiration to me when Mr. Toschik would comment on my talent. One year he gave me an autographed copy of the February 1976 Special Issue of the Animals of Arizona by Larry Toschik Arizona Highways Magazine. I have it in a frame in my office to this day.
I loved the rich cultural history and traditions of the Verde Valley and in 1986 I competed for and was honored to win the title of Colonel’s Daughter. The title of Colonel’s Daughter is derived from the novel of the same name written by Captain Charles E. King who came to Fort Verde in 1874. The Colonel’s Daughter, escorted by Camp Verde Calvary, leads the Fort Verde Days parade, among other duties. It is a tradition which began in 1960. The young contestants are judged 50% on horsemanship and 50% on poise and personality. I think one of the most memorable moments was when the Camp Verde Calvary presented me with a pair of spurs in keeping with the Colonel’s Daughter tradition of ‘earning her spurs.’
In 1988 while attending Yavapai College Clarkdale Campus I met William Ward. Will was born in Tucson, and his family had been in Arizona for generations. His grandmother’s family, Merritt, once owned a sawmill, general store and post office in Camp Wood. Merritt Springs in that area is named after his grandmother Lois Merritt Ward who also authored the Apache Pass Cookbook. His father Don, born and raised in Prescott, was a range conservationist and at one time worked for the Beaver Creek Ranger District.
My passion has always been for art and, thankfully, God has blessed me with a natural artistic talent. As a young girl, my first drawings were of horses. Through the years I expanded my subjects to include the beautiful inspiration that I receive from all my Southwestern surroundings. To experience standing next to a towering saguaro on the sunbaked desert floor, then, standing next to a towering blue spruce on a high alpine vista overlooking the same desert where I had stood only an hour earlier, and, to have experienced all of the rich biodiversity in between is truly awe inspiring! The Southwest is blessed with such a rich bounty of the beautiful character of God's creation that I can only hope to portray a small portion of that bounty through my photographs and my artwork. Not only is the Southwest blessed with a natural bounty, but it is also blessed with an amazing history of culture and traditions. My passion as an artist is to strive to translate and portray, within a two-dimensional surface, not only what I see in my surroundings but also what I feel and perceive. I look forward to learning and exploring new techniques of artistic expression and growing in understanding of the world around me.
It is difficult for me to choose from graphite, colored pencil, water miscible oil and watercolor which is my favorite medium but of these I have always felt the most comfortable using graphite. I am continually amazed by the finest detail and richness of tone and texture that can be produced by such a simple tool. How the style of a pencil stroke or the starkness of contrast can alter or create the mood of an entire piece. I also love color for the great range of effects it has on emotions. With colored pencils, oils or watercolor, either through dry or thinned washes or light pencil strokes, I can layer my colors to create wonderful depth of tints and hues. Also, with these techniques, I can achieve the fine detail that I feel is so necessary to portray my subjects.
In 2004, I partnered with The National Day of the Cowboy because I believe in their mission. I have also used my talents to preserve the Western tradition of lending a helping hand. I have donated several murals to the 943rd Rescue Group stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base and donated the patch design currently in use for the Montezuma Rimrock Fire District. May God bless those who serve and protect our great nation!
I currently reside in Tucson along with my husband and my son. Here I enjoy the incredible beauty and culture of the Sonoran desert from the back of a mountain bike.
Accomplishments:
2010 2nd Place, Professional Color Photography,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2010 4th Place, Professional Fine Arts, Oil Painting
Pima County Fair, AZ
2008 Best of Class, Professional Fine Arts, Oil Painting,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2008 1st Place, Professional Fine Arts, Oil Painting,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2008 2nd Place, Professional Fine Arts, Oil Painting,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2008 3rd Place, Professional Fine Arts, Oil Painting,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2008 Merit, Professional Fine Arts, Oil Painting,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2008 1st Place, Professional Fine Arts, Graphite Drawing,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2008 3rd Place, Professional Fine Arts, Graphite Drawing,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2006 2nd Place, Professional Fine Arts, Graphite Drawing,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2006 2nd Place, Professional Fine Arts, Colored Pencil
Drawing, Pima County Fair, AZ
2006 2nd Place, Professional Theme Division, Collage, Pima
County Fair, AZ
2006 3rd Place, Professional Fine Arts, Colored Pencil
Drawing, Pima County Fair, AZ
2006 3rd Place, Professional Fine Arts, Graphite Drawing,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2004 1st Place, Fine Arts, Graphite Drawing, Fort Verde Days
Art Show, AZ
2004 Honorable Mention, Non-professional, Colored Pencil
Drawing, Arizona State Fair
2003 Best of Class, Non-professional, Oil Painting, Pima
County Fair, AZ
2003 1st Place, Non-professional, Oil Painting, Pima County
Fair, AZ
2003 1st Place, Non-professional, Watercolor, Pima County
Fair, AZ
2003 2nd Place, Non-professional, Colored Pencil Drawing,
Pima County Fair, AZ
2003 1st Place, Fine Art Adult, Watercolor, Davis Monthan
A.F.B., AZ, Artist and Craftsman Contest
2002 1st Place, Fine Art Adult, Watercolor, A.A.C.C. Artist
Craftsman Contest
2002 1st Place, Fine Art Adult, Watercolor, Davis Monthan
A.F.B., AZ, Artist Craftsman and Photography Contest
2002 3rd Place, Fine Art Adult, Graphite Drawing, Davis
Monthan A.F.B., AZ, Artist Craftsman and Photography
Contest
2001 1st Place, Non-professional, Gouache Painting, Pima
County Fair, AZ
2001 1st Place, Non-professional, Graphite Drawing, Pima
County Fair, AZ
2001 3rd Place, Non-professional, Watercolor, Pima County
Fair, AZ
2001 3rd Place, Non-professional, Acrylic Painting, Pima
County Fair, AZ
1989 2nd Place, Adult Novice, Ceramic Sculpture, Verde
Valley Fair, AZ
1989 2nd Place, Adult Novice, Ceramic, Verde Valley Fair, AZ
1988 Artist of the Year, Graphite Drawing, C.V.H.S, AZ
1988 1st Place, Adult Novice, Wood Burn Drawing, Verde
Valley Fair, AZ
1988 Honorable Mention, Adult Novice, Colored Pencil
Drawing, Verde Valley Fair, AZ
1987 3rd Place, Leather Tooling, Fort Verde Days Art Show,
AZ
1987 Honorable Mention, Graphite Drawing, Fort Verde Days
Art Show, AZ
1986 2nd Place, Junior Arts, Acrylic Painting, Verde Valley
Fair, AZ
1984 Best of Show, Junior Arts, Graphite Drawing, Verde
Valley Fair, AZ
1984 1st Place, Junior Arts, Graphite Drawing, Verde Valley
Fair, AZ
1984 1st Place, Junior Arts, Graphite Drawing, Verde Valley
Fair, AZ
1994 Associate of Arts Degree, Glendale Community College
2008 Artwork used as the watermark for The 2008 National
Day of the Cowboy, Cowboy Keeper Award.
2007 Donated artwork for the Grace Evangelical Lutheran
Church, Tucson, AZ Summer Series bulletin covers
2007 Assigned by The National Day of the Cowboy to draw a
compilation of Texas state cowboy history for the 2007
National Day of the Cowboy Heritage Project
2006 Assigned by The National Day of the Cowboy to draw
a portrait of John Farris, 2006 Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
Inductee
2006 Assigned by The National Day of the Cowboy to paint a
portrait of Bob Robinson, 2006 Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
Inductee
2006 Donated artwork for the 2006 2nd Annual National Day
of the Cowboy Commemorative Hatch Show Poster
2005 Donated a wall mural for the 305th RQS, Davis Monthan
A.F.B., Tucson, AZ
2004 Donated a wall mural for the 305th RQS, Davis Monthan
A.F.B., Tucson, AZ
2003 Designed logo for Beaver Creek Realty, Rimrock, AZ
2002 Donated patch design for Montezuma Rimrock Fire
District, Rimrock, AZ
2001 Donated two wall murals for the 305th RQS, Davis
Monthan A.F.B., Tucson, AZ
2001 Letter head design for Desert Hawk, 305th RQS, .A.F.R.
monthly newsletter
1991 Designed banner for Blue’s Buzzard Chili
1989 Design for Camp Verde Saddlebag’s Pony Express Card
July 15th, 2006 to February 2007, Two pieces of Fine Art displayed at the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame Gallery in Colorado Springs, CO
This page was last updated: June 15, 2026
