ABOUT ME
I started painting 11 years ago in Chicago, which is where I’m from.
I had experienced this expansive amount of life in a short time - had a lot of fun, wore a lot of costumes, felt a lot, lost a lot and didn’t know what to do with my free time or all of the stories inside of me. I started painting. Mostly because I couldn’t keep going out drinking every night and I didn’t know what else to do with myself. The path of self destruction had to end. Paint seemed to give me an outlet where I could make just as much of a mess and go to all sorts of places in my mind. The painting, when complete, was like evidence of where I had gone. My signature on the art - evidence that I existed. With art, when I was done - I knew how to clean up that mess and find the good in the time I had spent making it.
I painted because I didn’t know how to feel, or how to explain with words.
Painting gave me something to do, something to make, and someone else to be. It took me 9 years to call myself an artist. And even if I did I would say “I mean people don’t buy my art or anything like that.” I started painting for the same reason I started listening to The Cure - because I thought it would make me cool, and because I had to experience the layers of not knowing turning into knowing. I’ve done a lot of work on myself. It’s taken a lot of time and courage. Because of that I have been able to travel the world. I have been able to learn the value of my art and how to run my own business selling it. I was able to work as an art therapist and see the impact art has on giving someone a positive sense of identity as they do the work to free themselves of the hell of active addiction.
My paintings are what happen when I channel what inspires me into a tangible life force.
Sometimes the inspiration is a person. My collectors of my custom commissioned art give me the gift of endless inspiration because I take them and channel their spirit into a piece of art and tell their story. Mostly, my paintings are stretched out moments in time created so intentionally that the opulence of spirit radiates through in a way that is unique to only my work.
The ocean and hubble telescope images of deep space are my greatest inspirations - the omnipotence of both is something I am always striving to recreate in my work. The movement of a piece is equally as important to me as the color and texture. I love showing people their true beauty and meaning as I experience it through my art, because my art is how I found beauty and meaning in myself and my experiences. I wanted to be a writer when I grew up so I write the stories of my paintings to really bring them to life. I have completed hundreds of these custom pieces. I am extremely proud of each one, as well as the connections I have with the people I created them for as a result of the work.
Other than that I love dying my hair weird colors alone in my bathroom at midnight, ruining all of my nice towels. I love my two studio assistants - both red dachshund girls. Harleaux my security, and Penelope the General Manager. My husband Kevin is my main support and source of every day brilliance, joy, and copy editing. My home art studio is flamingo and mermaid themed, painted Hot Gossip pink in place of what was once our living room and he supports that. We live in San Diego, in a tiny old house by the beach. We surf (badly), do hot yoga (often), and we both love our hammock and year round Christmas lights in every room. Together we are always looking out for when the sunset will be an electric pink sky over the ocean.
I guess this section is supposed to be about the schools I went to. Or links to all the press I have. Or stories of all the famous people I met in big cities at parties with big lines at the door that helped me become an artist. But I don’t have any of that, and even if I did it would just give me anxiety to present stuff like that to you because it’s just not me.
