Bio
I am artist in many ways. I have danced ballet and made artwork since I can remember. Growing up in Florida I became obsessed with warmth and light under the bright sun. I have moved around quite a bit and seen beautiful and amazing people, places and things around the world. Most recently my husband and I returned from South Korea after our wedding. Growing up my mother tried her best to expose me to as much culture and art as she could. I am so thankful because I wouldn't be the person I am today without her influence. I graduated from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago with a B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing in 2012. Since then I have trained with professional ballet companies, painted a mural in Dehangro theater district in Seoul, South Korea and survived living in New York. I currently live and make art in Springfield, Missouri.
I've been a ballerina since I was seven years old. I have trained mostly in Russian Vaganova style. This type of ballet although it is very strenuous and technically challenging, it's meant to look fluid and effortless. These qualities translate into the way that I paint. My work emphasizes the tensions implicit in combining the human mind and the world it perceives. What is underneath the surface is how I see the world. I want to make visible what is invisible. I intend to narrate my feelings and thoughts through painting.
Everything in my artwork has personal meaning, whether it is something someone gave me or an object or place that moved or affected me. I respond to the world around me either through the figure, object, place, or a combination of the three. It is through my own perception or the way I see the world, that determines how it is aesthetically depicted through color and forms. I want to convey the feelings that I felt when I was at a specific place, with someone, or pertaining to an object of mine. Though I write in a journal daily, painting is a much more vivid way of preserving my emotions. My memories are more solidified when I physically interpret them through paint. Though my paintings are wordless, each piece represents a significant experience. One can draw their own interpretation of how the colors and the forms influence their feelings, or if they can connect.
Formalism has a place in my work through the technical decisions that I make, such as color, lines, and shapes. I want the viewer to rhythmically flow through my paintings like a dance. I intend for my color palette to depict the emotions I felt from that experience. Whether the emotions are positive or negative, my palette is meant to have a harmonious output that entices the eye of the viewer. My brushstrokes reference from the way I draw, and the way I draw references from the way I dance: with intention and affection. I paint what I feel most connected to emotionally. Every painting tells a story from my life and creates an opportunity for viewers to experience my perception, as well as find similarities in their own lives.
Education
2011-2012 BFA in Painting and Drawing, School of The Art Institute of Chicago
2008-2011 BFA in Painting and Art History, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC (Transferred to SAIC Spring 2011)
Exhibition History
2019 Still Life, Sky Gallery, Springfield, MO
2016 Chandelier, Solo Exhibition, Essa Salon, Oyster Bay, NY
2014 A Quiet Place, Solo Exhibition, Dehangro Mural Village, Seoul, South Korea
2012 BFA Thesis Exhibition, Sullivan Galleries, Chicago, IL
2009 Natural Beauty, Solo Exhibition, Wisteria Salon, Greenville, SC
Curatorial Projects
2017 SASF 8th Annual Spring Arts Showcase, Exhibition Curator, NYU Skirball Center Gallery, NY
Awards and Scholarships
2011-2012 Merit Scholarship Recipient, School of The Art Institute of Chicago
2008-2011 Deans List and Honors Scholarship Recipient, Converse College, Spartanburg SCsp
Work Experience
2017-2018 Full-Time Substitute Art Teacher Dyker Heights Intermediate School, Brooklyn, NY
2018 Visual Arts Specialist, New York Edge, Woodside, NY
2017 Visual Arts Specialist, Sports and Arts in School Foundation, Woodside, NY
2017 Painting Instructor, The Teaching Studios of Art, Oyster Bay, NY
2016 Visual Arts Specialist, Jacob A. Riis Foundation, Queens, NY
