sabrina paints

Raised in Alaska, I’ve never been able to glamorize much beyond jeans and flannel, and leaving my hometown to attend Lewis & Clark College (Portland, Oregon) felt like one gigantic culture shock. As a Freshman, I was fortunate to attend my first proper art class taught by the well-known, Dr. Phyllis Yes. Yes introduced the class to "live model" drawing—which initially shocked my 18-year old self. After a few wonderful art classes, however, it quickly became clear I should transfer to a true art school—but it “wasn’t in the cards,” as they say. Even the art teacher left on sabbatical. Instead, I found enjoyment doodling professors during Lecture (and anonymously leaving them on their office doors). Eventually, even the doodling ended.

 

I never left Portland (it is too beautiful!), and after a career in graphic design, spent over ten years using my creativity to teach art literacy and gardening to students.

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Later, as life slowed down, the thirst to create art began to gnaw again. Repeatedly, I began to literally dream about painting, a medium I had never attempted before, and awoke wondering, is painting something achievable for me?

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Fortuitously, a chance encounter with artist Julie Armstrong Peltz, led to learning the very thing I dreamt about—oil painting.  Whether it’s painting children, chickens, wedding couples, each portrait reminds me that ordinary lives are full of extraordinary beauty. My first portrait, "Sophia," was the exact image from my dreams. 

 

Today I divide my time between my studio, running a family business, and advocating for young adults with disabilities. I live in Lake Oswego, Oregon with my husband John and our English Labrador, Merlin.

 

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