I am an educator and painter who finds radiance and energy in all things, grand and mundane. My artwork draws from details in nature and everyday objects, such as shells, furniture, a dirty corner of my room or a reflection in a glass. I create abstract compositions that transform them into bold, graphic images. When I paint, I exaggerate subtle colors to make my abstractions come alive, allowing colors to fold and blend into each other. They create a natural flow of energy throughout my pieces, helping to explore the beauty in abstraction and divine details in nature. 

Each painting begins with a clear, powerful image from my daily life. Once it takes hold, I can rarely be free of it until I render it on canvas. I occasionally make thumbnail sketches to experiment with composition and color, then move directly to paint. Rather than sketching on canvas, I use an underpainting to lay out the basic shapes and values. From there, I play with colors and let myself flow making decisions based on feeling over technique, emphasizing the complicated splendor the source holds. I avoid texture in my paintings and work to create a smooth, blended surface that once nearly completed, I leave on my easel for months, to view and analyze it until the urge strikes to finish it for good.

My background as a graphic designer and as a traveler affects my work in every step of the process. I graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Bachelors in Fine Arts focused on visual communication design. Working with typography and graphic compositions, trained me to notice the shapes of the world around me and how scale can affect how we notice objects. I use that eye in my work to hone in on striking compositions and details of ordinary things. After spending 6 months traveling the United States, I was overwhelmed by the radiance of life and how much is truly uncertain in the world. Life holds many questions. My answer to those impossible questions is to carry on living and accept what I do not know. Instead of getting stuck in the unanswerable unknowns, I express my awe at the exquisite beauty of what I encounter every day. 

As an educator, I strive to help students find their artistic voices and express themselves through art. I believe in meeting students where they are and creating an inclusive classroom where they feel safe to experiment, take risks, and learn from mistakes. My goal is for every student to leave my classroom feeling confident in their creativity and equipped with the skills to express their ideas and perspectives through art.