ARTISANS

I grew up in Morro Bay, CA (oh so briefly), Phoenix, Az and Glendora, CA. I spent many summers in San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay visiting my grandmother and falling in love with the ocean. I also spent lots of summers camping in the mountains and grew up with a love for both landscapes. As a child I wanted to grow up to be an artist. I am currently a Kindergarten teacher and enjoy it very much. But I never lost that desire to create. I used to spend hours drawing and illustrating stories I wrote. I would draw horse after horse after horse, trying so hard to get it right. I watched my father for hours as he drew and did lamprey work and I was always in awe of his skills. I remember in 1st grade entering a contest to illustrate one of our school menus. I was so excited when my drawing of bunnies and flowers was printed on top of the monthly menu. A friend of mine and I wrote a book when we were in 3rd grade and I did the illustrations. I look at it now and laugh, but I was so very proud of it, and still am.
I would not say that drawing came easy for me, it was often very frustrating when I was younger and sometimes still is, especially when my vision does not quite match what I see on the canvas. But it has been something I have persevered in over the years and I never really gave up on that child’s dream. I have done children’s portraits for family and friends, I’ve done many pet portraits as well. I’ve done a few murals here and there (one of my favorite things to paint, I love the large scale). Most of my past work has been painting from photographs and trying my hardest to make it look realistic. Then, 7 years ago I did my first major painting from my imagination and I fell in love with it. It was truly something that represented me, my struggles, my feelings, my past. I feel like that was a turning point for me. Ideas started to come and I found a new joy in art. I still love painting animals, landscapes and children, but I’ve added this new dimension to my work and I know there are others who find joy in what I do.
My art is often filled with emotion and sometimes represents various struggles, dark times as well as peaceful times. The paintings tell a story and the amazing thing about art is that it can tell a different story for someone else. I have seen works of art that hit me in my gut and bring up all sorts of feelings or memories or hopes. It is my hope that my art can touch others in similar ways, that it will speak to you.