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About
I honor my love of nature, in part, by creating sustainable art, and maintaining a green studio.
Raised on a dirt road in the middle of midwest dairy farms, I spent my childhood climbing trees, watching the sky, and dreaming of far-away places. When I began to travel as an adult, I found myself drawn to mountains, forests, plains, marshes, the desert - places where our world is virtually empty of people yet full of breathtaking beauty. Throughout my life, I've relied on nature to help me decompress and connect to my creativity.
After getting a college degree in painting, I worked in hospitality while establishing myself as a professional artist in my 20s. After a falling out with a not-so-nice gallerist who sabotaged a show, I moved on to Corporate America, jumping from job to job. But throughout it all, I painted and created.
My art's been shown in galleries, cafes, museums, private homes and corporations. It's collected by individuals, businesses, hospitals, and universities, across America, throughout Europe, and even in Africa. When I (finally) left my last corporate job, I said, “Enough of this! I want to make art full time.” Now I lead a community arts council, as well as my own arts non-profit, while I make and show art full-time. And I love it all!
INSPIRATIONS
A clear blue sky, an unusual-shaped tree, grass dancing in a breeze... I’m inspired by the colors and patterns of nature. Seeking to capture the visual rhythm of the natural world, I use a variety of mediums and modalities to represent unique shapes and patterns. Attempting to address my frustration and the conflict of 'my childhood nature' versus 'society's nature' through bright, clean, colors combined with bold black lines - I've grown to understand that I am part of 'society's nature' (controlling, destructive, segregating, aggressive), and so I work to achieve balance through the use of sustainable and non-toxic materials in my work.
SUSTAINABLE ART
Being a sustainable artist means I source my materials and supplies from businesses as close to home as possible. I use organic cotton canvas that’s grown, processed, and woven in the USA, birch panels from sustainable American forests, processed and constructed by an American company, oil paints handmade one state over, and brushes made in the town next to mine. I actively source professional grade, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and recyclable materials for making all of my art.
TECHNIQUES & STYLES
Working in a variety of mediums, I approach them all differently. From painting to mixed-media-on-paper to up-cycled 3D art to bas relief style papier-mâché on wood panels, I strive to experiment with new techniques and textures in order to challenge myself as an artist. For more information on how I work with these different mediums, check out this article.
