What is your earliest memory of being creative?
Ever since I was little, I have always been reaching for a pencil and a piece of paper. Drawing and coloring was my preferred activity of choice. So much so that every Saturday morning from the time I was elementary until middle school, I took lessons at a local artist’s home gallery. She was amazing and I think really started my path towards art. Creating has always been something I’ve done. I need to work with my hands and make things. I try to schedule creative breaks between collections but I find that it only takes around two weeks for me to begin doodling ideas in my sketchbook before I’m ready to move on to the next idea!
Did you always want to be an artist?
I don’t think I’ve always wanted to be an artist, per se. When I was in college, I had the pull to take art classes, but never did as I always deemed them impractical for a profession. Little did I know, this is something I would want to do later on in life after having two kids. In hindsight, I wish I would have gotten a business degree with a minor in studio work opposed to the dual degree I have in exercise science and health education.
How do you want people to feel when they look at your art?
My main goal is for the viewer to experience a sense of rest within my work. My paintings aren’t going to be the bold choice for your home, filled with bright colors or markings, they are going to be the addition that brings you peace. When you look at it, you are reminded of one of your favorite vacation spots or views you’ve seen while traveling. I want you to be transported back into that soothing space that allows you a minute to escape into the calm. Much of our lives are so rushed and busy, so for me the home needs to be restful and a place of refuge.
Walk us through the steps you follow for your paintings.
Many of my paintings begin in a sketchbook. I rarely use reference photos for the landscapes that I create and focus more on a color story and creating the sight lines of the scene. My heart lies with mixed media artwork. When it comes to finally getting to canvas, I begin by drawing out the scene with a russet or red watercolor pencil and then while adding water and wet paint with the first acrylic later, I get very organic drips and transparency with these outlines and the pops of red and brown peel through in the layering.
From there I layer on acrylic layer after acrylic layer to get the base scene done. This is where you can see visible, brushstrokes and drips within my work. After the acrylic completely dries, I begin a layer of oil paint and galkyd. This adds so much depth and shine to the final work. Once I’m satisfied with the scene, I will add my traditional markings and line framing with graphite and oil pastels before I varnish.
This is a process that took me over a year to figure out and I’m still evolving!
Do you ever experience a creative block? How do you break through?
After I had my daughter, I had the worst time deciding how to move forward with my painting style. I started out my creative career doing bright abstract work and very minimalist abstract landscapes. For a while, everything I painted seem to be stale. Because of this, I took a year of exploration and I dabbled with all different kinds of mediums and subjects. I learned oil, I painted florals, landscapes, abstracts, worked with handmade papers, plaster and other textured forms, you name it. In this year of exploration, I found that there were always certain elements that I gravitated towards in my work. Certain colors or brush strokes or marks that were always there. So the best advice I can give someone if they are experiencing creative block is to create something that you wouldn’t usually do. Learn a new skill or experiment with a new medium. Do something completely outside of your comfort zone and then see what happens.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned on your creative journey?
The most important person in your creative journey is you. Ultimately I paint for myself. It is a form of therapy and self care. If my art career ending tomorrow, I would still paint for myself. The fact that others can purchase and enjoy my artwork in their home, is just a perk. I will never stop being creative. It is who I am and how I function. 
How has creating helped you get through a difficult time?
I started my creative journey in fall 2018 as a way to deal with infertility and the stress of what would be a 5 year battle for husband and I had with trying to start our family. Painting was an outlet and relief from the anxiety, depression, and just overall torment of the time. It also gave me something else to focus on other than myself. I always painted for myself and my family, but I began selling my artwork in the spring of 2019. I opened my first online storefront and had several paintings purchased from folks in my hometown as well as family friends. Over the years, I’ve taken several breaks while having kids and adjusting to mom life, sometimes stepping away for a year at a time, but my creative practice is something I can always fall back on. It’s always there for me when I need it.
Favorite time of day to paint?
When I can! Usually during the school year, my kids will attend our church Pre-K a couple times a week, giving me a predictable schedule in the studio. With it being summertime, that’s a different story. I’m fortunate enough to have my mother take them a couple times a week so I’m able to complete deadlines and finish commissions but these next couple months, I’ll be painting during nap times.
Go-to painting 'fit?
I think if you’re an artist long enough, you will have more painting clothes than regular clothes. I found out the hard way that I am not a neat painter and I’ve learned to shop at secondhand stores or Goodwill for my painting clothes. I tried a painting apron, but after wiping my hands on it, paint always seemed to seep through the fabric. At this point, I have designated painting shoes and clothes that I keep in my studio in a bin.
What is your favorite book or the last book you read?
I have become heavily invested in the Throne of Glass series lately by Sarah J. Mass. I am flying through those books. Some of my favorite authors are Caroline Kepnes, Caleb Carr, and Naomi Novik.
Last TV show you binged?
Has anyone not binged Bridgerton at this point? I have since moved on to House of Dragon but I am a sucker for any period drama and if you add fantasy to it, it’s a winner for me.
Favorite vacation spot?
My husband side of the family vacation at Ormond Beach each year. They’ve been making an annual trip since he was in elementary school and it’s been very sweet to bring our babies to his family’s vacation spot. My side vacations in Saint Augustine, I love the history of the town and we also take an annual Disney trip each year. We are those people, ears and all.
