I have been creating in one form or another for most of my life. As a young girl, I would sew clothing for my dolls, dream up stories with my wild imagination, and choreograph ice skating routines while listening to the imaginary music I composed in my mind. My creative spirit has always been chaotic and untamed, and it is my constant companion. When my own children were young, my creative nature latched onto the most accessible medium I could find: paper. Scrapbooking turned into card making, which turned into ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) and then into paper art. But by this point, my creative spirit was becoming restless. It was a nagging, uneasy spirit, in search of what I did not know.

I satisfied that hunger for the next 15 years by developing my artistic skills. I delved into resin, wood, metal, and fiber, gaining knowledge through classes and partnerships. I jumped at opportunities and created my own. Eventually, I realized that as an artist in training, what I seek cannot be found. Creativity is not something I accidentally discovered along the way; it is a part of me, and it has to be nurtured and tended to. Like my aging bones eager for mobility or the metronome of my breathing lungs, my creative spirit is like a prayer to my life that whispers: “Create from the inside out,” and so I do, every minute of every day.

My work has been featured in over 80 publications, from art journaling to jewelry and fashion. It’s hard for me to describe my style because when I look back at the work, my style changes with the tide and influence. However, when it comes to my design aesthetic, texture, dimension, and grunge, they always have a place at my creative table.

Over the years, I’ve incorporated these design choices by layering, embedding, stitching, and building. I'm after something that encourages the viewer to come in for a closer look. Plus, anything rusty, vintage, and weatherworn makes my heart go pitter-patter.