I was born in southern Michigan but moved to Colorado when I was 9. I have a few strong memories of my life in the state that is surrounded by lakes, one of them being an apple orchard. As a family we had three apple trees to the right of our house and to the left just down the street was a large apple orchard. It had a fence around it and I remember being there with my brother looking at how big it was. There were also apple trees that grew in the forest behind our house but they were so big I couldn't reach them. I would have to wait for the apples to fall off the tree and then I could try to find a good one to eat. The orchard, however, was off limits. Although we were not allowed to go onto that property that did not stop my brother from hopping the fence and stealing some apples. A very scary idea for a young girl. As I learn to paint what I know I am also learning to paint my memories, something I am beginning to enjoy.