I grew up in Decatur, Alabama and recently moved back after 36 years of living in various cities and towns. As a small child, I loved anything and everything I could make with my hands. I was messy and enthusiastically creative. I drew and doodled in church bulletins and the long hall of the Pennylane house. My parents encouraged my love of art and enrolled me in art class with Jackie Goode. My Grandmother Toal taught me to embroider at age 10 and at age 12 my neighbor and friend Shara Anderson taught me to needlepoint. I have tried to sink a stitch in a project every day since. At the age of 12 I also started an art day camp during the summers for young girls. I loved art class and art club at Decatur High Scholl and had a fabulous art teacher Linda Sanders Lee. I minored in art while receiving a BSN in nursing from the Capstone College of Nursing at the University of Alabama. (Roll Tide!)  I owned a hand painted children’s furniture line in the 1990’s. I started painting in watercolors in my early years but quickly moved to oil and acrylic. I paint with acrylic on needlepoint canvas and take custom orders for needlepoint belts, chairs, pillows, and church kneelers. I also paint on artist canvas and enjoy learning new techniques and experimenting with color.

My day job is as an RN Case Manager with Vona Case Management but my passion is ART.

I am the former owner of The Needle Nest in Columbia, TN. I have taught needlepoint and embroidery. I also ran the wholesale company eat.sleep.stitch.® I will be hosting Stitch Club Decatur and can’t wait to have a stitch group in the studio.

I am so excited to be part of a energetic group of artists at The Art Loft.