Family: My husband; three children, two of our own and one adopted; and two beautiful grandchildren. My husband is from Ghana, and our grandchildren are Korean, and our adopted daughter is Korean, so we have an interesting all-American family — the way it should be.

How long have you lived in Sandy Hook? 48 years.

What do you do for work? I’m a full-time artist, a ceramist. I retired from Danbury High School three years ago, after teaching art in the school system for 30 years.

What do you like to do in your free time? Mainly my artwork. Right now I’m also trying to renovate a room in our house. I’m taking everything out of that room, that’s been there all those years. It’s daunting.

Who or what has been the greatest influence on your life? I think my high school art teachers. They really gave me a beautiful work ethic, and showed me so many fine points of craftsmanship. One of them said to me “If it doesn’t look easy, and it doesn’t look magical, then you have a problem.” So craftsmanship I know is such an important piece of any kind of artmaking.

What is the most recent book you’ve read? I love listening to books through Audible. I can listen while I’m working. The most recent one I’ve finished was The Grieving Brain by Mary-Frances O’Connor. It’s very interesting, on what happens in your brain when you lose somebody that’s very important to you.

Another very chilling book I read was Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen, which is how that would go down should that occur today. Everybody should read that book because it is absolutely chilling. It’s very well researched. She didn’t just pull it out of her mind, she spoke to hundreds of people.

Do you have a favorite author? If I’m going to sit down and read, I really love poetry and I love Mary Oliver.

Favorite musician? I love Bach. He’s like a perfectly saturated blue sky. That’s how I feel about his music.

Favorite color? Everything. Color is so magical — just the fact that we see color is so miraculous. When you think about it, how would you describe red to somebody who’s never seen color? Or yellow? It’s just the most magical thing.

What is something you cannot live without? Love.

What is your favorite thing about Newtown? When I first drove in here and saw Main Street and I saw the church steeples, it was just this perfect, quintessential New England town. That’s what I saw and I remember thinking “That’s it. It’s perfect.” That feeling is still there. I also think people truly care about each other here. There’s a kindness here.

Do you have a personal credo? Nothing of value comes without risk, so just go for it. Don’t be afraid. Don’t hold back.