My artist story

I have always had a passion for anything creative. Growing up I loved sewing, crafting, and baking with my mom. As a 20-ish girl, I took classes in cake-decorating, flower-arranging, and paper crafting. My creative endeavors took a hiatus in my 30s while I focused on raising my kids. In 2005 I found scrapbooking and after 6 months of designing and creating scrapbook layouts, I began teaching card-making and scrapbook classes for a local scrapbook store. I taught classes for 2 years until the store closed. In 2009 I began playing with acrylic paints and in 2012 I found mixed media art, which for me included using acrylic paints, various collage papers, modeling paste, ephemera, along with stamps, stencils, ink and markers. In 2014 I opened a 900 sq ft studio and began teaching mixed media classes on nights and weekends. I love teaching and seeing the joy when students create their own art piece. After multiple years working my full-time job and teaching part-time nights and weekends, I needed a break. In 2015 I stopped teaching and closed my large studio. In 2016 I was promoted to Director in my full-time job and time for art became very limited. In 2018 my creative drive returned, and I began a daily sketching and watercolor practice. My daily art practice helped me find my artistic style and my color palette. Over the last 12 months I have returned to mixed media with a focus on creating painted papers and fodder, along with creating my own watercolor journals. My interests and style continue to evolve, but watercolor is definitely my first love.