Even as a very young child, I showed artistic talent in my drawings and paintings.  My fashion sense was visible in the outfits I designed for Barbie and my other dolls.  At the age of 11, I received my first sewing machine. My Aunt Lillian taught me the basics of sewing.

So, it was with great amazement (and horror) I learned before graduating from high school, that I would not be going to a fashion school or majoring in art (“your father didn’t make it as an artist and fashion is too risky”), but going to college and majoring in science, (“you are good in math and science and a doctor would be nice to have in the family”), with a minor in art and chemistry.  After college and graduate school in Biology, I worked as a Research Biologist for a while, dealing with the trials and tribulations of working in an often-negative environment with few women & fewer people of color.

Working in the lab with electron microscopes, I developed film and printed pictures for diagnostic purposes. Although this work was often heartwrenching, I was also able to use the facility on my own time, to develop and print my own pictures- a creative and positive outlet. This brought me back to ART.