Artists all have memories of childhood drawings and stories about pictures they made. Here is a drawing I made when I was about 8 years old and taking an after school art class filled with adults. I do have vague memories of the teacher ‘helping’ me out though, (especially with tricky ellipses) so I can’t claim that I was that talented.

I took commercial art classes in high school and went off to Kent State University sure that art was my thing. It wasn’t! The artwork I did in my classes was mediocre at best. I stayed with it for about a year and a half and then decided to major in Interior Design. I really liked the classes I took as they encompassed architecture, textiles, design and color.

After I received my degree in 1980 I had some jobs that were tangentially Interior Design related. I did drafting (before computers); I sold furniture and decorative hardware and bathroom fixtures. I worked retail and I traveled to Europe a few times. Once on an archeological dig in England, once to London to intern in a museum. And just to travel. I felt that Interior Design was not a good fit for me- I am too quiet, I am not a sales person and you have to constantly sell yourself. Each time I came back to Cleveland from my travels I was in a quandary about what to do with my life…I had many ideas, textile design, window displays, museum studies, historic preservation, move to New York or Boston or London.

But finally I decided to return to college and work on getting an art education degree and becoming a teacher. I went back to Kent to take another try at art classes to work on getting together a strong portfolio for the program I wanted to enter. Well this time around, older, wiser and more intent on success, I loved art classes and did very well. After a couple classes in painting and drawing I decided to complete an art degree before choosing a career. I spent 3 years taking painting, drawing and printmaking and feeling good about being in school. I got a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in printmaking.

I had to make a huge decision at that point- Go for the Art Education program or for a totally impractical Master of Fine Arts degree. I chose the unsafe, unpredictable, expensive, Fine Arts Degree. After a few false starts in finding the right school I went off to the University of Wisconsin- Madison where I spent 2 very happy (and cold) years. I made some good friends, one of whom designed this website, thank you, Eleanor Droll! Madison is where I discovered artist books and Walter Hamady and a whole new world opened up to me. Read more about my feelings for books in my statement under the artist book gallery page.

I graduated in 1991 with an MFA, got married and live on 10 acres of land in Medina, Ohio with my artist husband, Charles Basham, 2 dogs and 2 cats. We each have a studio here.

Since about 1996 I have been an adjunct professor teaching drawing, printmaking, painting and design at a variety of colleges and universities in Northeast Ohio. I drive a lot! Some semesters I drive 400 miles weekly to my teaching jobs. I enjoy teaching in a way that I never enjoyed making a living before. I am also the co- director of Gallery West at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.

I try to spend a couple days a week in my studio so that teaching doesn’t become my life instead of art. Some semesters it is harder than others. In the summer I am sometimes able to find a teaching job but more often I get a chance to spend more time in the studio (but not making much money) and the garden. It is a trade off. But this lifestyle is the right fit- finally.