My professional life has been rich with varied experiences, and I only after dreaming of being in a too small box, my head pounding the top, did I begin painting. Like a Pisces fish to water, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, which resulted in seventy paintings. I have continued painting, and my favorites are found on this web site.

To backup, twenty plus years ago with a degree in anthropology and teaching, attempting to explore the big questions, "Who are we? and Why are we here?", I taught trouble youth in San Francisco, and with a help of my twin sister, landed a life changing teaching job in Sao Paulo, Brazil at an American school with an international student body. Five years later, ready for the new, with the help of my younger sister, I moved into high tech marketing, creating first binders, then publications for Apple and other corporate partner marketing groups.

After years maneuvering through the labyrinth of the business world, and after the death of my husband, I swam into the depths of myself, shifted my focus to the arts, and began exploring, "Who am I? and What am I doing here?" I took writing classes and Kyra Eichhorn's healing class in creative recovery.

In addition to making art and loving it, today I still work for Apple, but I write books, paint, and coach others in re-discovery of their life purpose. I have authored Divination and Joy, Divination and Action, Catching You, Catching Me, Catching Fire, and the newest, Be Not Afraid, of my recent artwork with a poem.

I am also proud to be the mother of Adam Michael Torvik-Staffen, 20, and Danielle Barbara Torvik-Staffen, 19, both creative, embarking on their own journeys.