Press • Hallmark Magazine: Things We Make



The city provides so much inspiration for my work and I try to paint outdoors as much as I can. Everything here feels lush, whether I’m in my yard surrounded by lavender and herbs, down by the beach amidst the sand and dune grass, or just passing by the brilliant purple hydrangea and hot pink azaleas that seem to be everywhere I look.

I’m always recreating the natural world, on everything from tiny bud vases and functional dining plates to large canvases and murals. The variety of mediums allows me to choose projects based on my mood. I go to canvas when I have built up emotion and feel the need to splatter paint; I choose to paint smaller items, like these door pulls, when I can be more focused and intense with my energy in short spurts. Plus, I like creating art that can function in people’s homes—like the drawer pulls, which can transform a plain piece of furniture into something truly unique. But no matter what I’m painting, I just love the process of having an idea, feeling the need to get it out of me and putting my brush into the paint. And I love supplies. I’m amazed at how exciting it still is to order tubes of paint!