While attending Stephens College for women in Columbia, Missouri, she met her husband, Mario Héctor Gottfried, a pilot of the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Over the years, she continued learning from other well-known artists, among them: Irene de Bohus (1959–1962), Toby Joysmith and Juan O'Gorman, who shared his tempera techniques with her.

[6][8] Her production is vast and punctuated by a strong interest in mountain ranges, deserts and majestic Mexican volcanoes, like the Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl of Central Mexico.

In the words of the painter: "Distance, light, color, and vivid effect of these elements on a flat surface with pigments, is a continuous and enjoyable challenge.

[8] This inclination for exploring all the possibilities in landscapes, along with her many trips, whether by sea land or air, led the press to call her "painter of all seasons".

[22] She commonly used the "Ruben's technique" to paint,[8] "a monochrome oil sketch is done on canvas while on location and back in the studio details can be filled in".

[8] Her work, which includes hundreds of paintings and large-scale pieces, is significant to many art critics because, besides showing interesting ecological changes,[6] it presents "factual responses to the natural scene".