I was born at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, in Maryland, and have lived all over the United States, in large cities, suburban developments and "off the grid" rural areas.

While I was still in high school I started working as an illustrator / graphic designer and I continued in that field for 6 years. In 1975 my mother died after a long, difficult illness (cancer - I later learned that she had been exposed to the radioactive dumping into the Columbia from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.) Disillusioned with commercial art, and searching for a more meaningful life, I left the art world and went into Nursing.

In 1994, burned out on the dysfunctional U.S. health care system, I retired from Nursing and began to devote myself full time to painting. These days I mostly work in my studio, using photographs and sketches for reference and inspiration. Once or twice a week I head outside to paint and/or photograph the natural and not-so-natural world of San Francisco. I also publish a daily internet arts journal focused on my life as a working artist, and the San Francisco arts scene.

I've been living in the Sunset District since 1987 with my husband - photographer David Sumner. We're active in the local arts scene, as BigCrow.com.  We've hosted, supported, organized, and voluteered for local arts organizations and individual artists. We also volunteer our services for social justice organizations, as our resources permit.