I graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1977, four years later I was hired to Teach at MICA. I taught calligraphy and manuscript gilding at mica for 16 years. For the last 26 years I have owned a business with the purpose of making hand carved water gilded picture frames, and the restoration of antique gilded wooden objects. In 2001 I became a teacher for the Society of Gilders, and in 2006 I was invited to be a teacher at the Smithsonian.