Since I was very young, about 5 years old, I knew that I would be an artist. It was all I ever wanted to do and what I was best at doing. Heaven knows it wasn't math! So I have been working at it and practicing ever since. Artwork was my focus all through high school (Jefferson City High School in Missouri) and then I went to Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri to get a Bachelor of Fine Art degree with an emphasis in illustration and painting.
Sure, I have had my fair share of mainstream 8-5 jobs but luckily all of them were in the graphics field and still allowed me to be creative. For the last 7 years, I have owned my own business to promote my artwork and I couldn't feel more blessed! What artist doesn't want to spend their day, creating and get paid for it? Of course, I have to thank my husband for his support (financial and otherwise) in helping to make it all happen.
Through the years my work has evolved and changed subject matter and medium. Initially, I found that my favorite medium was acrylic paint on canvas but it didn't take long for me to start attaching objects to my canvases, creating mixed media. After about 5 years of this, I decided that my work needed to take a new direction all together so I started using colored pencils. Currently it is my medium of choice but I am thinking that soon, it will some how evolve to include the attachements I loved using earlier. Change is good!
Over the years my work has been exhibited in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Kansas City, Carthage, Springfield, Joplin, and Warrensburg, Missouri; Siloam Springs, Arkansas; Lawrence, Kansas; and Grove, Oklahoma. And last year (2006) my piece, "Swimming In Serenity" won an award for excellence at the 14th Annual CPSA International Exhibition. http://www.cpsa.org/GALLERY/WINNERS2006/AG2006.html
I guess to sum things up, if you wanted to describe my work, I would say it is colorful, usually bright and cheery, and sometimes whimsical. But no matter how you choose to describe it, I just hope that you enjoy it!
