The beauty found in nature is a valuable commodity in a world with so much uncertainty. Flowers are dazzling beacons that illuminate nature. They are a sign of a new beginning and in a time with so much turmoil, are an upwelling of hope, joyfully liberating the soul. The first painting I can remember doing was when I was in grade school, my family still has it and I still like it. The next time I picked up a brush was in college. I painted into my 30's and then stopped entirely. It took me too long to complete a painting, the last one taking six months. At the time, I was already a private chef and continued to work in that profession for a total of ten years. Then I became a commercial and fine art photographer for almost another decade. I came back to cooking for another five years as a recipe creator and author. When I finally returned to painting, I did so with a passion. Now painter, writer, chef and photographer are beginning to integrate and the next phase is starting to unfold