Imagine all the people sharing all the world . . .

I believe Connection is the reason we are here, and the key to creating a world where every being thrives; because Connection is the foundation for caring, and caring is the foundation for positive action and transformation.

This is why I’m dedicated to creating art and projects that foster connection to each other, animals, and the environment, and why a portion of proceeds from each sale supports important causes that do the same.

I was born in Seattle, but spent most life from the age of 9 and up in Utah, where I graduated with a Bachelors in Fine Art, and a minor in Women and Gender studies and Psychology. I am now so happy to be back in the PNW, creating my unique, mixed- media art . . . usually layers of digital paint, acrylic, pastel, wax, and more (see how I stumbled in to this method below), and creating/leading a lot of cool projects that you can find on this site!

You’ll find that the heart of each project, and truthfully my drive as an artist, is fueled by one simple word . . . CONNECTION . . . because connection is the precursor to caring, and caring is the precursor to action. Through a couple of life’s grueling challenges (including the early death of my mom, coming out as a lesbian in an uber- conservative society, and a rough stint of severe,

debilitating anxiety), I have come to believe on a profound level that connection is the entire point of existing, and the one thing that can heal our broken world. I believe we must fight against hate, fear and discrimination, by fighting for love, inclusion, and connection. With so much dividing us, this can seem daunting, but I believe there is always a way, and that small things can make a big difference. That’s why I’ve chosen to use my art to help foster connections to each other, animals, and the environment, and to empower, raise awareness, and donate a portion of all proceeds to causes that do the same. It is my hope that my art and projects will not only make a difference, but that it may also inspire introspection in others on how we might all use our own gifts to bring our world closer together.

I have a unique method of layering digital paintings that I create on a tablet, with acrylic paints, gel mediums, powders, pastels, wax, and more. Interestingly enough, this method was born out of desperation, which I’ll explain in a moment, but I have come to absolutely love it!
So what happened? While working on Ballerina Boots, a children’s book about self love and empowerment that I wrote, illustrated, and self-published in college as part of my final project, I began reacting very badly (with nausea, shakiness, and headaches) to oil paints to the point that I couldn’t finish the paintings for the book. Not only was I panicking, and unsure if I could use any kind of paint at that point, but oils were also my preferred medium and main method up to that point, so I was worried my life of painting as I knew it might be over! I worked at a graphic design shop at the time, and learned through a design course about a tablet, along with some painting software, that can you can plug in to your computer, and paint on it with an electronic pen, just like you would a canvas. Well, long story short, I ordered one without even thinking, fell in love with the process, the possibilities and extra creativity it opened up, and became very good at it. The only downfall, was that I missed TEXTURE! So I eased in to dabbling with acrylics (still haven’t spent too much time with oils since, but would like to try again some day) and other mediums, which I now layer with my digital paintings.
While I will always continue to experiment and play with other methods and mediums for the sake of learning and creativity, I feel like I’ve truly found my unique niche, and have no doubt this process of layering digital paintings with acrylic (and other textures) accidentally born of desperation will be my life-long “go-to”.

2015 – present Featured artist:

10 Oaks Gallery NW Food and Gifts Dayton Mercantile Newberg Artwalk

Projects / Creator

Destination Connection Project, Campaigns4Causes, Art4Activists

Member

Portland Saturday Market (the highly competitive, world-famous, largest outdoor artist market)

2010-2015
Featured Artist/Speaker/Commentator

Hard News Cafe
Harold Journal
the Radio Project / Radio for all National Art of Gender Conference

Projects / Creator

Ballerina Boots – author, illustrator, publisher

Education

Graduated Utah State with Bachelors in Fine Art