My mother took me to free art lessons at Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia as a child, and would drag me to art  museums, with promises of a reward; getting to visit the Franklin Institute for good behavior. So, my art education started early. For my 11th birthday, my dad gave me my first camera, a small point and shoot, and I was in the darkroom with my stepmother later that same year.  It was love at first sight.  She patiently taught me how to use her  Cannon AE1 manual camera and spent the time to teach me how to process and print black and white film and turn my creative mind into prints in the darkroom. My family has a long history of artists on both sides, with my mother, grandmother and great grandmother on my mothers side as oil painters.  Grammy Marie taught all of the family children how to oil paint.  My maternal grandfather fancied himself a watercolorist, and I remember going with him to the local pond and setting up my pad and pencils, while he painted the scenery.  My paternal grandmother was an  accomplished musician and fantastic crafter, making quilts, crocheting, and knitting and my paternal grandfather had a beautiful singing voice, and they traveled with a theater troop all over the country after the Korean War.  My paternal great-grandfather was an acclaimed amateur photographer, winning several Kodak Magazine cover's. He was also a carpenter, an award winning gymnast, an author, and a boat builder. I have lived in the Atlanta area for 38 years, a transplant from Medford Lakes, NJ. I earned a BFA  in Fine Art Photography from Georgia State University and have been practicing my craft for over 30 years, making images that inspire me , and I hope they inspire you too.