I told my husband about it later, and he chuckled at the story. By the time the paints arrived in the mail, I was convinced I had imagined what I heard, so I put the box somewhere without opening it. A few weeks later, my husband came home with a huge box. It was an easel. I opened the paints that day, and I have been painting ever since. To this day, I believe God was speaking to me through His whisper, inspiring me to paint. Now, I love creating scenes that communicate love in its many forms.

It all actually made sense, though it never occurred to me that I would have this trait. As a teen, my father painted backdrops for his high school plays. In his early career, he was a high school art teacher, and in his twenties, he painted a self portrait and a portrait of my mother. Those portraits have been hanging in their house for nearly 50 years. And so, I’ve always known that my father could draw and paint. But if you had asked me before 2003 if I could do the same, I would have laughed and said absolutely not. In fact, in sixth grade, I recall drawing a particular piece for art class – a piece that impressed my classmates and a work of which I had become proud. My teacher was not very impressed. I wasn’t hurt by that experience, but I subconsciously decided that art wasn’t my thing. So I didn’t pursue it, and I did not take another art class until 2003. (The power of a teacher. But that is another topic.) I think the Lord decided to make it plain to me when I was 37. Maybe if He hadn’t told me then, I might not have ever known. Perhaps. But I am so glad He whispered to me that Saturday, and my father could not be more proud.

I studied for a short time with Jerry Yarnell, a wildlife artist, and I created some of my older pieces while I worked with him in and around Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Some of the older pieces on my site are scenes I painted using his books and videos. He was, and is, a phenomenal teacher in that his teaching style is easy going and effective. He gives all of his students permission to post and sell whatever they paint while learning from him.

Later, I searched for learning opportunities closer to home and discovered Visual Expressions Creative Arts School (VECAS) in Cedar Hill, Texas. For the last several years, I have been a student of some of the finest painting teachers in the area: Kelli Howie, June Holloway, and Robin Ingle who is the owner of VECAS.

In 2012, Robin invited me to conduct art parties and to become the youth painting teacher. I agreed and enjoyed teaching inspiring young artists until 2020, when COVID hit!

For a brief time, I wrote for Dallas Arts News, an online publication that once highlighted the latest art scenes in Dallas Fort Worth and in the surrounding areas. In 2017, the Journal of Language and Literacy in Education featured my work entitled “Family Homecoming Fantasy” and my series entitled “Futures of Mpeasem.” In September, 2020, The North Texan, published by University of North Texas, featured works inspired by my 2019 trip to Ghana, West Africa. I was also a featured artist in DallasVoyage Magazine in 2018 and 2020.

I love teaching, learning, and leading. I taught ninth grade English for five years, spent six years as an assistant principal, and I served 13 years as an upper elementary principal. I also volunteered as the director of Vacation Bible School at my home church for 13 years. For five years, I taught pre-service teachers in the Teacher Education and Administration Department at University of North Texas, Denton, Texas while working full-time on my doctorate there. In May, 2017, I graduated with a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction and a concentration in language and literacy.

I am a full-time faculty member in the School of Education at Dallas College. I teach seniors who plan to enter the teaching field, I lead professional development, I have co-led the Associates of Arts in Teaching Curriculum Team, and I engage in collaborative research projects. My academic interests include equity in curriculum and instruction, equity in teacher education, and arts-based research. In each of my paintings, I want to convey love in one or more of the many ways it reveals itself.

I am a member of Concord Church in Dallas, Texas. I have been married 27 years to Johnson T. Price, a phenomenal freelance photographer who took photos of me for this website. I love my family and friends, particularly my precious niece Joni, who is 11 years old, and otherwise known as “My Punkin.”