My photography aligns with the needs of conservation, and to coexist with the earth!

I am a guest in nature, while acting as conduit to share the stories of our natural world.

Raised by an art and design teaching mom and inspired by my Finnish-American grandfather, a forester. He passed on his care and knowledge of nature on our many walks among the trees. I learned that nature is restorative for the spirit…the earth is calling!

As a child, I spent endless hours exploring the woods behind my grandparents home, and subsequently fell in love with nature!  With an art and design teaching mom who allowed me to create, experiment and tag along to her college classes provided an enriching foundation.

In college I worked at a camera/photo lab shop and was a photographer for the college and community newspapers.  Graduated from the University of Memphis in 1994, with a Major in Cultural Anthropology and a Minor in Art.

Later on I taught Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten. While raising our family, I helped develop an Intergenerational Montessori classroom for residents and children at a nursing home, where I worked at as an activity coordinator. As our family grew and caring for rescue dogs, I continued to teach Preschoolers & Kindergarteners art enrichment classes.

Spent nearly a decade working as a nature interpreter and teacher for our local botanical gardens, Memphis Botanic Gardens. I got started in writing as a travel mommy blog contributor for MomMaps.

The meaning of my work behind the lens, comes from digging into my Finnish roots. I am drawn to trees, their benefits for the earth, us and nature all around. 🌳🌲🌳

A member of Memphis Artists’ Link and Arrow Creative, a collaborative art lab. Honored to work on Nature Conservation projects as a contributor for the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine.♻️

Join me on my journey to discover art in nature and follow along on my photo adventures @ artlivesinnature