Biography

I was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1975.  Since early childhood I have expressed myself through art, experimenting with multiple media and in multiple disciplines.  I attended Drake University where I received a BFA in Fine Arts for Musical Theater, but my time in college also taught me printmaking, scenic design and costume design.  My initial thought was to become a costume designer after college. I received multiple offers to graduate schools, but ultimately chose to move to Seattle to work as a freelance artist.  I spent a long year in a cold warehouse creating original paintings to be mass-produced for Costco. It was an interesting experience and taught me that versatility and speed are great assets.  Also- nothing is precious and everything can be created once again.  
In 1999 I received an offer to move across the country to work with the prestigious Blue Man Group in NYC as their wardrobe supervisor.  It wasn’t the costume designing experience I hoped for, but it was an incredible education nonetheless.  I spent two amazing years with Blue Man Group, traveling with them and helping to create their signature look for their new Vegas show.  My amazing connections there led to multiple opportunities to design costumes for theatre and movies, which I did for several years.  Never to be satisfied doing just one thing, I also worked as a successful scenic painter and musical theatre actress, both in NYC and regionally.  Around 2005 I began to focus exclusively on mural painting in NYC, both private and corporate commissions, both inside and outside.  I did this for several years and you can still see my work throughout the 5 boroughs of NYC.  
Mural painting is hugely satisfying work but it is incredibly hard on the body. About 2012 I decided that I was finally ready to start painting for myself, to experiment and discover what I wanted to say with my art.  I retired from acting, designing, mural-painting and wholly focused on oil-painting on canvas in the comfort of my own apartment (even if that meant a 4’ x 4’ area of my living room).  I painted like that, cramped in a tiny NYC apartment, for 6 years before finally having the common sense to move to Bucks County, PA, where I can proudly say I have my own studio in a lovely cabin in the woods where I can paint to my heart’s content.

Artist Statement

My artwork is figurative and story-telling, with a aspiring nod to the genius of Edward Hopper, my favorite painter. I focus on a person and their immediate environment. My challenge is to capture small yet significant moments, as I invite the viewer to participate in a private state of contemplation. 
I want to capture the simple beauty of humans doing human things. A woman is bored at her job, she considers a new life and what that might look like. A young boy practices his piano lessons while day-dreaming of Spiderman and what they would do together if they were friends. A man is crushed by regret but the light flooding over his broken frame is filled with forgiveness and love. Never content with just one thing, I bounce between the figurative and the abstract in my journey to express a moment, a feeling of significance, to fix and hold something fleeting and lost.
As to medium, I prefer oil paint for its unrivaled range of color and luminosity. Sometimes I pair this with foil for added dimensions of light or plaster for texture.