Textures, patterns, and quality are all characteristics that inspire me when I paint the dolls from my collection. Most of the dolls are antique and seem to have a history or past that emerges when I use them as the models for my paintings. My undergraduate degree is in Medieval Studies from the University of Michigan. I came to Chicago to study restoration at the Art Institute of Chicago. While there, I took studio art classes. The rest is history. I was lucky to take several painting classes with Imagist painters, who encouraged me to paint in my original style. I originally began doing paintings of antique and primitive dolls. I still Like to focus on the doll paintings, continually collecting dolls on my travels or where I can find them. The textures patterns and quality of the doll come through when I paint them, and associations from a book I am readding (I work part time as a children's librarian) or similar associations will come through. I like to incorparate foliage from medieval tapestries for figures from paintings or iluminated manuscripts. I am also attracted to Outsider Art with its quirky spontaneous style. Many dolls in my collection are African American and I like to relate my paintings to African American historical figures. Once I put together a book, "Dolls As Heros", that includes paintings with poetry that I wrote.