A realistic drawing of a duck at the age of three is Yvonne's first memory of beginning to draw. The love for art that began then has always been an important aspect of her life.

At twelve, Yvonne was fortunate to become a student of Robert L Bruns, a master of classical portraiture and a dedicated teacher. His students benefited much from his training at the Art Student's League of New York and the Academie de La Grande Charmiere.

Shortly after she joined his children's class, Mr. Bruns invited Yvonne to attend live portrait classes at his studio. There she studied weekly for the next four years. When she was fourteen, Mr. Bruns offered Yvonne the opportunity to also attend his two weekly adult classes in exchange for cleaning his studio. That summer, Yvonne felt like an apprentice to a great master as she worked side by side with Mr. Bruns. He taught Yvonne many things about art that summer, but it would be many years before Yvonne truly appreciated the generosity of her great teacher.

An opportunity to spend the following summer at the University of Monterrey in Mexico lured Yvonne away from her art studies and began her pursuit of other interests.

Leaving high school before her senior year, Yvonne entered Central Wesleyan College where she began a major in biology and chemistry. Later she transferred to the University of S.C. and graduated with honors from The School of Pharmacy in 1971.

In the following years, Yvonne never lost her desire to create art, but as the years passed she began to lose her belief in her own ability. As a result, Yvonne quit painting for several years: however, the passion to create art is resilient and with her husband's encouragement, Yvonne made a conscious decision to begin anew. She decided that rather than being intimidated by the great masters, she would make them her teachers. It was not long before she could see and feel an improvement in her work, but she was still often frustrated with the results.