Born in South Bend, Indiana, Cindy relocated to East Greenwich, Rhode Island in 2001, where she conducts workshops and gives private lessons in both watercolor and oils. In 2000 she became a signature member of the American Watercolor Society. Developing an interest in art in her early childhood, her artistic background in drawing led her to watercolors and eventually oils. She has found that one medium has helped her to grow in the other and vice versa. One of the most asked questions she receives is, “when working on a painting, how do you choose what medium you want to use?” The answer is “nature chooses it for me. I’m blessed to see landscapes in two mediums. When on location I can feel the movement a watercolor can give with its easy flowing and entwining colors, like a foggy morning, or a crashing wave and yet some scenes call for the intensity, depth and lust that only oil can give. Some would say you need to concentrate on just one medium but I believe if you are passionate about what you do, express it in the best way you can, you can grow so much if you look at the world through many eyes.”
Cindy gives a lot of credit to an art teacher she had who took an interest in both her and her brother. She never has forgotten what he so often said to her, “there’s no such word as can’t.” One of her early interest was portraiture, which she still loves today and when an interesting subject is found she does not hesitate to introduce herself and begin work. She uses her studies for many of her classes she teaches. She has also been fortunate to have traveled extensively and has spent a great deal of time on the east coast, where the Maine landscape is an etched road map in her mind. She says it is impossible for her to paint a landscape unless she has personally experienced the scene, to study, to take in the atmosphere and commit to memory what she wants to portray on paper. Her camera, sketch book and easel are her tools when on location.
Cindy’s paintings reflect the beauty that can be found in nature if you take the time to study the colors around you. She can capture beauty in a blustering storm or the tranquil air of everyday places. Her portraitures relay a story of human life as though they were family or friends. She has versatility in her subjects that keep her always energized with a passion to create. Her work can be found in private collections around the world. She recently won the Judges Choice Award in the Arts for the Parks National Show and has traveled with the American Watercolor Society’s traveling show. She has been featured in the Artist Magazine on several occasions.