My Mother wanted me to become an artist but I became a doctor instead. I served as an Army Family Physician and spent much of my career training young doctors. As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq waged, my students and husband were deployed in harm's way. I turned to art to build resilience. After serving a tour in Afghanistan, I retired in 2014 with 27 years of service. I now take care of Veterans part time and spend the rest of my free time painting.I am a contemporary abstract colorist who uses unique layering to create an interplay of texture, color and form to create vibrant non-objective and abstract landscapes. I hope that my art will help viewers to establish connections that will improve health and wellbeing. I strive to inspire viewer connections with the art, with their creative selves, and with others thru mutual love of art and beauty. Human connection is one of the most important drivers of health in older adults. Research shows that lack of human connection affects health and mortality as much as smoking and obesity. My artwork has won awards at the National level and has been juried into numerous National and International exhibitions.