Before I became chronically ill, I loved to dance. I think that’s why I fell in love with watercolor. The way paint and water move together feels like a beautiful dance—unpredictable and alive, never repeating the same steps twice. You can plan the steps, but they create their own rhythm. Then, layer by layer, like panes of glass, colors build and shift, changing how the image is seen. In that freedom, I find both beauty and challenge.

Nature and the creatures within it are my greatest source of inspiration—filled with resilience, calm, and quiet struggle. I believe every animal carries a story, and through my work, I strive to give that story a voice. In these creatures, we find connection, understanding, and the beauty of the world we share.

Since I have lupus and myasthenia gravis, I would use the $25,000 to make our home safer and more accessible for myself and my daughter, who also lives with a disabling autoimmune disease. I would convert our mudroom into a first-floor laundry to avoid climbing two flights of stairs—I fell down the basement stairs last year when my legs gave out while carrying laundry. I would also add a ramp to our front porch and a stair aid for times when I cannot walk.