About

From Landscapes to Living Art

Growing up amidst the urban sprawl of Southern California, I felt a pull towards the beauty and intricacy of nature that was often overshadowed by concrete and chaos. This aspiration led me to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where I majored in landscape architecture and minored in fine arts. It was here, amidst the rolling hills and open spaces of the Central Coast, that I fell in love with California native plants.

Upon graduation, I moved to Sacramento as an unconfident junior landscape designer, underpaid, unfulfilled with the work, and uncertain about my future. The turning point came a few years later when I discovered that I was earning thousands of dollars less than a newly graduated male colleague—an all-too-common story that really pissed me off.

This realization spurred me to further my education in habitat restoration, earn my landscape architect's license, and become a restoration ecologist, a role where I felt my work could be a real benefit for the environment instead of for developers. During the Great Recession, I was laid off (coincidentally a couple of months after I spoke up about being paid less than an unlicensed male colleague at a different workplace). In spite of this scary setback, I was blessed by the employment goddesses, as I was immediately recruited by the client my now ex-company was working for. I had a new position at a water agency at the State of California.

As an in-house landscape architect and restoration ecologist for the State, I have had the opportunity to contribute to significant levee vegetation management policy and to oversee the creation and implementation of state-of-the-art tools for evaluating flood control structures. With the support of a great team of experts, this role has allowed me to marry my understanding of riparian landscapes, tree growth patterns, and engineering with practical, impactful solutions.

This work has been very fulfilling, but by 2012, this gal needed something more in life than policy work, and art had been hanging out in the background wondering when I was going to come back and play. In 2012, I finally heeded art's entreaties, and have been dedicating myself to my passion for creating art with California native plants and animals becoming the heart of my work. My art has been evolving over the years, and now begins to tell a story of growth, resilience, and the transformative and healing power of nature.

These roles of artist, landscape architect, and restoration ecologist helped me become a steward of the natural world, and provides me unique skills to help you integrate beauty, sanctuary, and joy into your spaces.

Through my journey, I’ve found that true fulfillment lies in following your passion, embracing your unique path, and turning dreams into reality. Let’s create something beautiful together that echoes your life’s journey.