BIOGRAPHY

I have always been drawn to things that have involved movement, music, and the arts.  I would consider myself a very versatile artist, and I believe it is because of my diverse experiences growing up.  I have been described by many people as a “Renaissance Man”.  Starting as early as 6 years old, I focused on learning to play musical instruments such as the piano, trumpet, mellophone, french horn, and snare drum.  I received my black belt in Tae Kwon Do.  I’ve always enjoyed flying through the air, so I became a gymnast for 8 years, and then switched to diving in high school, placing 4th at state.  

It wasn’t until I was 16 years old that I found my passion for painting and drawing.  I took my first art class with Zan Burningham at Sky View High School in Smithfield, UT.  She changed my life.  Her passion for art was contagious and I caught the bug. At that time, I was fortunate enough to be the first person in the Springville, Utah Museum of Art’s history to receive a Master’s award in the All-State High School show 2 years in a row.  There are only 4 awards in the state given out.  One of the pieces was purchased by a museum curator.  I also was published in 2001 in The Artist’s Magazine for winning The Artist on the Rise competition in the Experimental Category.  Surprisingly, I won out of 13,000 entries.

After graduating High School, I became interested in figure skating.  Once again, I found myself flying through the air.  This was due to watching the Olympians practice for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.  Within a few years, I got to perform in the Sun Valley, Idaho Ice Show with World and Olympic Champions.

I attended college at Utah State University and was awarded a full-tuition art scholarship in 2002. I never got a degree because I painted too much and flunked out of all my classes that were not painting related.  However, my education was priceless.  The numerous life drawing and figure painting classes I had from amazing professors changed my life.  One summer, I got to be a studio assistant for my most influential professor and Yale graduate, Woody Shepherd.  He taught me most of what I know in terms of stenciling, color theory, additive/subtractive processes, and the freedom of exploration.

Ever since, I’ve been able to work as a full-time artist in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore areas.  I was also given the opportunity to jury a show for Touchstone Gallery in D.C titled “Art on the Small Side”.  While being a gallery member there, I was selected for a commission by Lexus Hybrid Living as the premier artist in a Fairmont Hotel Suite in D.C.  The entire suite was designed around my work.  Everything was in black and white, except for the color of my work on the walls.  I found out afterward, that celebrities such as Nicolas Cage have stayed there.  My work was also published in Spaces, in the Summer of 2008 issue.

I moved to Phoenix, AZ in 2010 to train in pairs figure skating.  I also attended massage therapy school and have worked as a Licensed Massage Therapist. My experience with athletic and artistic movement, as well as the anatomy of the human body strongly influences my work.  Various spiritual concepts are also a major influence. The artists that influence my work are vast and many, but to name a few are: Richard Diebenkorn, Gustav Klimt, Andrew Salgado, Rembrandt, Euan Uglow, R.B. Kitaj, Claude Monet, Edward Hopper, Jackson Pollock, Gerhard Richter, and Vincent Van Gogh.   

Currently, I reside in Tempe, AZ with my wonderful husband Phil and our dogs Jovie and Leena.  I'm gratefully living a life I never dreamed of as a full-time artist.  I am currently represented by The Marshall Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ and Abend Gallery in Denver, CO.  I've sold work internationally and have had several solo shows.  My soul has the innate need to create and to be playing in my studio daily.  I will always do that.  My job as an artist and person, is to inspire and give beauty back to the world.