Thank you for visiting Nature Based.
I live in Atlanta, Georgia, where I happily tend a large, wayward garden, see grandchildren almost daily, cook A LOT (to feed all those grandkids), get on a paddle board whenever possible, weave on a loom, play the piano, draw, paint and make things out of anything I can find. I am happily married to a wonderful guy who is afraid to throw away anything because I might want to use it to make a piece of art.
I am currently researching, writing and illustrating a book for the University of Georgia Press entitled, Imperiled Beauty: The Endangered Plants of the Southeast. I love the work, though it is sobering to say the least. So, partially as a diversion and partially because I really, really love this craft, I began making paint out of flowers and it is just pure fun!! And no, I DO NOT make paint out of endangered plants just the weeds and garden flowers that grow in profusion in my garden.
I have had a long and very happy career as an author and botanical illustrator. I have a degree in botany from the University of Georgia and a certificate degree in Botanical Art and Illustration from the New York Botanical Gardens.
In addition to publishing 26 books, I also wrote a weekly gardening column for The Atlanta Journal and Constitution and, for many years, was gardening editor for both Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Magazine and Georgia Magazine.
In 2004 I took a break from writing to found and run the non-profit, Ties That Matter. We taught Haitian women how to sew and make sellable products from recycled neckties. After nine years, we donated the business and the profits to a Haitian run organization which helps women business leaders in small communities in Haiti.
But, once a writer, it seems that you’re always a writer and 40 years after my first book (Wildflower Folklore) was published, A Naturalist’s Book of Wildflowers was published by Countryman Press, March 2021.
It seems that plants and flowers are an irreplaceable part of my life. I’m either researching, growing, writing about, or painting them – if I’m not grinding them up to make paint from them. I am grateful for each petal and each little root that comes my way. Truly, my life is nature based.