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My Story
As a child, I was a quiet observer, captivated by the world around me. I remember running barefoot through the grass, feeling an unspoken connection to the trees, fireflies, and the dark woods beyond my backyard. Nature wasn’t something separate—it was part of me, teeming with mystery and meaning. Those early moments, paired with nights spent gazing at the stars and wondering about the vast unknown, planted seeds of creativity that would later define my life.
Growing up in a home filled with art, music, and books, I was shaped by my father’s photography and my mother’s nurturing love of education. Summers spent camping at folk festivals and exploring the art markets awakened my admiration for the artistry of human hands and the ability of creativity to connect and uplift. I marveled at the beauty artists brought into being, a spark that stayed with me through childhood as I painted, sculpted, and dreamed.
But life had other plans. At 23, just as I was beginning to explore my identity as an artist, I discovered I was unexpectedly pregnant. I put my paints away, uncertain about the safety of encaustics during pregnancy, and devoted myself to motherhood. My children became my world, and I poured my creativity into nurturing and homeschooling them. But as the years passed, I felt the growing ache of a vital unexpressed part of my soul. Without consistent time or support to create, my longing for the studio became a constant undercurrent in my life.
After a decade of marriage, a series of traumatic events forced me to confront the reality of my situation. Divorce became the only path forward, and the years that followed were a crucible of pain, loss, and rebuilding. My car died, my personal belongings—including my art supplies and cherished paintings—were discarded, and I was left living with my parents, uncertain of how to provide for my children.
Through resilience, faith, and the support of my now-husband, I found my way back to art. Painting became my lifeline, a space to transform darkness into beauty. Alongside raising my children, I opened a nature-centered early childhood program, weaving my passion for nurturing young souls with my creative spirit.
Today, my artwork reflects my journey—an exploration of connection, renewal, and the quiet power of transformation. Through encaustic textures and luminous layers, I offer my story to the world, a testament to resilience, beauty, and the belief that life, even in its darkest moments, holds treasures worth uncovering.
Artist Statement
I create compelling, one-of-a-kind paintings that merge the ethereal beauty of mixed media with the timeless allure of encaustic techniques. My artistic style is defined by a delicate balance between abstraction and emotion, where layers of texture, color, and form invite the viewer to explore both the seen and the unseen.
Encaustic is a centuries-old medium of hot wax fused with pigments which I blend seamlessly with other materials such as oil paint, pastels, drawings, gouache, gold leaf, and vintage fabrics, to create pieces that feel tactile, alive, and dimensional. Each piece is an intricate interplay of materials—organic textures juxtaposed with clean lines and imagery, vibrant hues softened by earthy tones—crafted to evoke both wonder and introspection.
My work is deeply rooted in themes of transformation, connection, and the passage of time. I draw inspiration from nature’s ability to evolve, heal, and renew, as well as from personal experiences and emotions. This influence allows my art to serve as a visual language—a bridge between the external world and the internal journey.
Art represents possibility and a way to access the extraordinary. All of life becomes source material. Illustrations in a book, the transparency of water and waves, patterns of tree branches, spirals in a seashell, the stunning geometry of a flower or a butterfly. I love the element of serendipity and chance that arises from my process or when some small trinket I collected finds its way into a painting years later. The end result is a combination of disparate parts and materials that combine to create an elegant and eclectic new way of seeing world.
The craftsmanship and technique behind my work are a testament to my dedication. I am self taught in encaustics and have developed my technique over 20 plus years of experimentation. Every piece is layered and refined with precision, involving the painstaking process of layering and fusing the wax, allowing the story of each work to unfold naturally. The encaustic medium not only gives my art a luminous, almost otherworldly glow, but also allows for rich textures that beg to be touched, offering an immersive sensory experience.
The harmonious blend of raw texture and polished elegance is designed to draw people in, offering layers of meaning and details that reveal themselves over time. Whether displayed in a private space or a public gallery, my art commands attention while offering a deeply personal connection.
Through the fusion of ancient techniques with contemporary themes, my art feels both timeless and profoundly modern. My creations are more than art pieces; they are living, breathing narratives that bring beauty, emotion, and meaning to the spaces they inhabit.