I was born on the Hi-Line of Montana and raised in Bozeman. I studied art at Montana State University and received my MFA from the University of Cincinnati. For forty-two years I taught university-level art at Florida State University and Arizona State University, and I am currently Professor Emeritus – Drawing at the University of Northern Iowa – Cedar Falls. Since retirement, I live in the little coast town of Waldport, Oregon in a mid-century modern house and studio high above Alsea Bay with my husband, Mark McIlwain, a rescue dog, Tori, and two kitties, Mac and June.

My narrative work in drawing, jewelry/metals, mixed-media sculpture, and installation sculpture has been exhibited extensively in over one-hundred-ten national and international exhibitions, including twenty-two solo exhibitions, and my work is in several collections, including the British Museum Medals Department.

My most recent work is titled Pacific Waters, a collection of drawings done with indigo ink on watercolor paper depicting the movement of stretches of water seen at the beaches and bays of the central Oregon Coast.