Most of my childhood was spent living in Portland, Oregon. I have fond memories of helping my mother, Elsie R. Dorfman, in the flower garden and going with her to Garden Club shows, where she displayed her wonderfully creative arrangements and horticultural entries. I credit her for my artistic genes and for instilling in me a love of the natural world.

It was most fortunate that the University of Oregon School of Architecture included a program for space planning and commercial interior design in 1964. I chose a career in design that was creative and challenging. I also met my life partner, Jan Knott, at the University of Oregon, and we have spent the last 45 years working together and pursuing our shared interests in bird watching, wildlife video and photography.

Although Oregon is our home, we have traveled in other countries where we have enjoyed seeing wildlife and learning about other cultures. The traditional arts found in the different countries have been inspirational, as has the flora and fauna.

We lived in Zambia from 1968 through 1976, and have also spent time in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana and South Africa. The seed pods we collected in Zambia continue to inspire me and I have fond memories of those years spent in the bush looking for the perfect baobab tree. Traveling in South America was also very enjoyable, especially in Peru, where large collections of ancient textiles and pottery were well displayed and curated in the local museums.

After 35 years as a tenant improvement design specialist, I went from creating corporate office environments in Portland’s high rise buildings to creating ceramic containers and making my own flower art.

I started taking classes and workshops at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts in 1995 and eventually opened my own studio in 2004.

My first encounter with Sogetsu Ikebana was eight years ago when my mother and I went to an event where Akane Teshigahara, the Iemoto, (head) of Sogetsu Ikebana and her team created a sculptural art piece that filled the stage. There were also many other arrangements on display, and every one of them was so original in the use of materials and containers that I decided to learn more about the Sogetsu school of Ikebana.

I credit my Ikebana teacher, Hideko Hearn, for sharing her knowledge and guiding me in my studies so that I could qualify as a Sogetsu teacher. She has inspired me in my flower art and has enthusiastically supported my creative endeavors in clay.

Every day is a good day, and so it should be for all of us.