Press • Home Companion Magazine "Artists on our Radar"

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DESCRIBE YOUR ARTISTIC HERITAGE, YOUR CREATIVE ROOTS, AND YOUR MENTORS

 I have to begin by describing my grandmother.  She always taught me to seek beauty and notice the details in nature.  While camping in the mountains of Star Valley, Wyoming we picked wild flower bouquets and she would point out how brilliantly red the Indian Paintbrush was, the delicate billows of the dandelion, and the hummingbirds that so touched her heart.  As far as I know, I am the only visual artist in the family, but my mom and sister have always written poetry and I would describe my maternal grandparents as aesthetic souls.

 

When I was sixteen years old I saw a poster for the Savannah College of Art and Design and knew at that moment I was meant to attend the college.  It was the most beautiful city I had ever seen—dripping Spanish moss accentuating majestic oaks in front of historic facades.  While looking at the poster I remember thinking, “What could be more incredible than to study and create art in such a beautiful city?”    It was very difficult to leave Utah to attend college in Savannah, especially because my family was all in Utah--I was, and continue to be, so close to my mom, a single mother of three.  My family could not support my education and college seemed a distant dream.  From the moment I saw that poster I worked towards obtaining scholarships to make my dream a reality.  I was awarded a Presidential Scholarship from the President of Savannah College of Art and Design without which I never could have afforded my education.

 

At the Savannah College of Art and Design I studied with (amongst many other great professors!) Joy Flynn, Darrell Naylor-Johnson, and SandraReed.  These three individuals stand outin my mind because they provided me the entrepreneurial and technical knowledge, as well as encouragement to truly begin my career as a full-time artist.  I began supporting myself with my artwork during my junior year of college and have done so ever since.   Much to my delight, in May 2005 my mom, sister, and nephew moved to Savannah.

 

DESCRIBE YOUR WORK HABITS

I start each day with a warm cup of coffee.  Time management is very important in keeping up with the business portion of being an artist, so every morning I look over my goals and responsibilities, including gallery shows, mural work, and other commissions.  I then go into my studio and paint on pottery or canvas, whichever I am inspired to do.  My paintings have many layers and I like to live with each one for awhile, rotating each canvas and adding layers on daily. Like most creative people I know, I work best at night.  I paint until 4:00AM.  Since I was fifteen years old I have painted or drawn almost everyday of my life.   I paint because I have to. 

 

 

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE

There truly is no typical day! Especially living in such a magical city as Savannah, you never know what opportunity will greet you that day or what (or who!) will inspire you.  For example, one day I will go to a private home or business and paint large scale murals on thirty foot tall scaffolding and the next, I will paint pottery composed of bird motifs because I received a beautiful vintage card from my grandmother in the mail.  My only constant is knowing I will paint each day--whether it is in a mural, pottery, or canvas.      

 

WHAT’S THE BEST AND/OR WORST THING ABOUT BEING AN ARTIST

For me, some of the best parts about being an artist are expressing my thoughts and feelings when I am filled with such overwhelming emotion and to later stand in a gallery, or meet with a client, and see their reaction to what I have created.  When emotions are evoked through art and shared it makes the interconnectedness of all things and persons in life more apparent and you feel deeply embedded in the vein of life.

 

I have always loved the process and tools for creating art.  Every time I squeeze a fresh tube of paint onto my palette, I feel such happiness, a fluttering in my heart, and gratitude for the moment I am in.  The times of fear and uncertainty are outweighed by the end result:  I truly feel I am living my dream.  Many times a week I recite in my mind the quote by Henry David Thoreau, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined.”   

 

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DOES ART MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE? IF SO, HOW? IF NOT,WHY?

I firmly believe so, for several reasons.  First, because it is a reflection of society.  Music, poetry, dance, architecture,literature, paintings, pottery—all record our time as individuals and as a societal whole.  Secondly, life is sometimes hard and art brings a magical quality to our existence.  As Pablo Picasso said, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life!”

 

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST?

Since I was two years old, drawing Burt and Ernie with my mom’s pen on recipe cards.  I never played with dolls; I craved crayons and manila constructions paper… to make art.  I entered every coloring contest and was always known as “the artist” throughout my school years.  I recall always creating projects with my grandmother, such as silver spray painted milk carton bird houses, May Day flower baskets made of strawberry containers and pipe cleaners, as well as little villages composed of poster board, glitter, and markers. 

 

YOUR NEXT PROJECT AND/OR GOALS

Current goals include creating a fabric line inspired by my paintings:  Poppies, Paris Patinas, Italian Flower Markets and Savannah Wildflowers.  I would also like to create a pottery line that is available to more people.  I really believe in bringing art to the people and making everyday life more beautiful and magical.