about the artist
Detour into deep water…
For Christmas in 2022, we purchased an oil painting set for our creative 10-year-old, Ella. I thought it would be just like all those Bob Ross episodes—”let’s build a happy little tree.” But it wasn’t long before we realized that “happy little accidents” were decorating the downstairs floor and furniture.
So, we compromised, and bought a watercolor tutorial to do together…
and I fell in love with the brush and the water.
Today, I’m grateful to have a “Nook and Helm” to create and get messy in. But in those first few years, it was just Ella and me, growing and learning together
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The past that informs my art
No one informs my art more than my mother. Her infectious love for people, the ocean, and living things echoes in me, repeating like the waves on a shore. She wasn’t able to pursue her love of painting beyond a few brave classes at the college in her sixties. But she inspires me now, as I embark on the same late journey.
The people that encourage and make space for my detour
Balancing the roles of artist, wife, mother, and home educator is often complicated. I’ve been blessed with incredible support and encouragement from my husband and children. From critiquing my work to helping build a website and set up my studio space—they have made this unexpected detour a fulfilling destination.
practicing the art of becoming
Enjoying the flow of ink and water, lead and pigment, for the sake of process, not product is part of the journey, and I think it is my favorite part…
“Thinking about her was the same as the hole you keep on feeling with your tongue after you lose a tooth. Time after time, my mind kept going to that empty spot. The spot where I felt like she should be.” – Because of Winn-Dixie
A moment with my mother at my 40th birthday celebration.