I was born in Berkeley, California in 1970 and have lived and worked as an artist in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, since 1995. My first studio was in the Amsterdam Nieuwmarkt neighborhood, the same area where Rembrandt lived and painted.  Inspired by this incredible history, I painted realistic portraits in oil paint and learned as much as I could about traditional painting techniques.  In 2015, after completing more than 130 commissioned artworks, including sixty works for the permanent collection of the Amsterdam Jewish Historical Museum, I began to feel a deep desire to take my work to the next level.

To help myself reach this goal I enrolled in the full time studio art program at Wacker's Academie.  Working with the well known artist Sam Drukker as my mentor I started a body of work in which I paint guns to look like landscapes.  As the wife of a soldier, the violent nature of humans is an unavoidable topic in my life.  In these "Gunscapes" I attempt to strip guns of their inherently violent function by abstracting them and transforming them into something else.  

A short film about my graduation work from Wacker's Academie 2019

History

• Currently teaching drawing and painting lessons at Cultuurhuis Wherelant in Purmerend and Atelier Groeten van Marc in Amsterdam.
• Currently I have created more than one hundred and thirty commissioned artworks for American and European private collectors and the Amsterdam Jewish Historical Museum.
• 2018 Started the series of “Gunscape” paintings in November.
• 2015 - 2019  Full time art student at Wackers Academie, Amsterdam.
• 2006 - 2007  Created artworks for the Amsterdam Jewish Historical Museum’s permanent exhibition for children.  (See Expositions.)
• 2000 - 2005  Researched and experimented with traditional paint-making techniques. Worked on creating thixotropic paint based on spectrometric analysis of paint samples from Rembrandt's work.
• 2002  Worked with Richard Keijlewer painting psychedelic murals in Cafe Get Down To It, Amsterdam.
• 2000  Painted two portraits designed and commissioned by artist Ram Katzir that appeared in the Van Loon Museum’s Exposition “Home is where the heArt is,” Amsterdam.
• 1999 - 2000  Painted twenty-nine commissioned artworks for the exhibition “In Mokum Staat een Huis,” Amsterdam Jewish Historical Museum.  The exposition received the Prins Bernard Cultuurfonds Prijs.  (See Expositions.)
• 1998 - 2011  Worked on portrait commissions, taught art lessons, hosted model drawing sessions and participated in open studio routes.
• 1997  Received an art grant from the Drury Foundation which funded my first studio in Amsterdam, situated around the corner from the Rembrandthuis Museum.
• 1995  Immigrated from the USA to the Netherlands
• Born May 19, 1970 in Berkeley, California, USA

Education

• 2015 - 2019 - Wackers Academie, Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Completed a four year full time studio art program in drawing, sculpture, painting and art history and theory.  One year independent study with Sam Drukker.
• 1990 - Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.  Summer courses in philosophy and film.
• 1988 - 1992 - BA from Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York.  Independent major in Existential Philosophy and Theatre of the Absurd. Studio art courses with Ann Daly and Harry Roseman.

Expositions

• 2024  Duo expo with Willem van Dijk, Overweersepolderdijk Kerkhof, Purmerend
• 2024  Different Directions II, Expoost Gallerie, Hoorn
• 2024  Student Etching Exposition, Cultuurhuis Wherelant, Purmerend
• 2024  Tiende Winterexpositie, Kerkhof-gallerie en beeldentuin Overweersepolderdijk, Purmerend
• 2024  Wherelant Jubileum Tentoonstelling, group exposition, Purmerend
• 2024  Different Directions group exposition, KunstRUIM, Amsterdam
• 2023  The Wisdom of Your Feet Digital Expo, The Hub, Sleaford UK
• 2023  Landelijk Atelierweekend Nov. 11-12, Amsterdam Noord
• 2023  Richmond Art Gallery Mail in Art Exhibition and Fundraising Auction, Richmond Canada
• 2023  Purmerend Kunst Route, Cultuurhuis Wherelant, Purmerend
• 2023  Kunst Achter de Bar, Cultuurhuis Wherelant, Purmerend
• 2022  Insecten Expo, De Grote Kerk, Monnikendam
• 2021  2b Kunstmarkt Amsterdam
• 2021  Ode aan het Noord-Hollandse Landschap, Purmerends Museum, Purmerend
• 2021  Reflections, Galerie de Beuken, Laren
• 2021  The Turning Point, Vrijpaleis. Amsterdam
• 2021  Landelijk Atelierweekend, Amsterdam
• 2020  Visitekaartjes, Galerie Paterswolde, Paterswolde
• 2020  Patronen, Grote Kerk, Monnikkendam
• 2020  In( )side Transformative Art Exposition, Vrij Paleis, Amsterdam
• 2020  Corona Archives Passage, Nieuw Dakota, Amsterdam
• 2019  Figuratief Now!, De Boterhal, Hoorn
• 2019  Graduation Exposition, Wackers Academie, Amsterdam
• 2019  Group expo, Galerie De Beuken, Laren
• 2019  Wackers Academie Exposition of Small Works, Amsterdam
• 2018  Rendering Likeness, group exposition of contemporary portraiture, La Bodega Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.
• 2018  Pieta Painting Exposition in conjunction with Zingis Choir performances in Zeist and Driebergen
• 2017   Wackers Tuin student exposition, Amsterdam
• 2017   Cafe Zamen expo for 24H Noord, Amsterdam
• 2017   Halte Zamenhofstraat Open Ateliers
• 2017   Wackers Student Exposition
• 2017   Summer Show, Nieuw Dakota, Amsterdam
• 2017   Schilderfestival Noordwijk
• 2017   Slordig Schilderen Exposition, Wackers Academie
• 2016   Portrettenparade 2016, Amsterdam
• 2016   Expo at Beats on a Boat, De Ceuvel, Amsterdam
• 2016   Student Exposition, Wackers Academie
• 2016   Pintar Rapido painting contest, Amsterdam
• 2016   Schilderfestival Noordwijk
• 2016   Pop Up Expo, Zamenhofstraat Studio, Amsterdam
• 2016   Wackers Student Exposition, Amsterdam
• 2007 -  present   Amsterdam Jewish Historical Museum.  Worked on nineteen paintings, numerous painted sculptures, and a doll’s house, created together with artist Ram Katzir for the ongoing exposition for children, Joods Museum Junior.
• 2005   Two expositions in the Bibliotheek Pintohuis, Amsterdam
• 2005   Solo exposition in Cafe Bern, Amsterdam
• 2002 - 2019   Psychedelic murals in Cafe Get Down To It, Amsterdam, created together with Richard Keijlewer
• 2000 - 2006   Amsterdam Jewish Historical Museum.  Created twenty-nine oil paintings together with artist Ram Katzir, which appeared in the first version of the Children's Museum.  The exposition won the Prins Bernard Cultuurfonds Prijs and received funding for a permanent Children's Museum.
• 1999  Van Beek Watercolor Competition Expo, 2nd place prize winner
• 1998 - 2006   Participated in Amsterdam Nieuwmarkt and Zamenhof Open Ateliers

In front of a large Gunscape painting.

At Galerie de Beuken in Laren with three Ovum paintings, 2019

Group exposition Figurative Now! in De Boterhal, Hoorn, 2019

A selection of works created with Ram Katzir currently at the Amsterdam Jewish Historical Museum.

 Copyrights Ram Katzir.