THE GALLERY is a beautiful garden of art located near the center of the 16th-century village of Ajijic. It's an artist's hideaway that is often discovered by accident as visitors explore Ajijic's cobblestone streets. Here in the village women often open shops at the front of their homes to share their wares with neighbors and visitors, and so I have followed in that familial tradition. 

Tourists, neighbors and friends drop into the garden and studio to linger and chat amidst colorful flowers and paintings as we exchange thoughts about art, travel and life. And every now and then, a special connection is made and a painting finds its forever-home. 

I moved to Ajijic in 2010 and the beauty of life here had a profound influence on my art, inspiring me to express the spirit of my subjects as I imagine them it to be rather than to simply replicate realistic forms. 

In the sanctuary of my studio I don't have to think about what or how to paint; inspiration just comes. When I wake up to the sound of wind chimes and birdsongs I can't wait to get to work. A golden bird, butterflies and blossoms, peacocks and pangolins, mermaids in exotic landscapes. I paint in the style of Magical Realism, which seems an ironic homage to the magical thinking of childhood that still lingers in my imagination.

I paint every work of art with loving intention, knowing that some day an unknown person will feel an inexplicable connection and claim it as their own. That art become a treasured heirloom that carries with it the memory of its origins and the story of its journey through time as it passes into the hands of a new generation.

Art, like love, is forever.   And so it is that I say, My Art is Love.