Rivertown Painter's Studio is home base for my two fields: writing, and making and teaching art. I've done five profiles of accomplished local people for Westchester Magazine, and I've written for other publications, online and print, about art technique and art exhibitions. I've written some non-art online articles about local events such as fundraisers and a meeting about the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge. I'm looking for an agent to help me publish my mystery novel about a Tarrytown artist who becomes an amateur detective to help her policeman friend with his case of art forgery. In addition to the fictional events, my book deals with the question of what is quality in art. My year of stories for Tarrytown Patch included some about my artistic process. Those were called "Stages of a Painting" and showed my work in progress, accompanied by my thoughts on the best way to develop a painting and the influences that helped me over the years. When painting, I often work outdoors when possible. I've studied both photography and painting, and I know that photos can produce a different reality from what we see with our own eyes (which has both good and bad points.) I prefer to paint from life rather than from photos whenever possible. I also give classes for individuals and small groups on painting techniques from beginner to advanced levels.