“For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a very vivid and (what some may call) an overactive imagination. The earliest piece of art I can recall completing was at four, when I took my mom’s bright red lipstick to a yellow plastic table I had in my room, drawing a spider. I took crayons to walls, markers to skin, paint to my toys. I can safely say my skills have expanded exponentially since my four-year-old self, and in middle school it moved from a simple desire to create to a driven passion for becoming GOOD at my art. At the time, what motivated me was the Japanese animated show, Sailor Moon. My art goal was to become an animator for Sailor Moon, or an artist for Japanese comic books (manga). I practiced all the time, at home, at school, everywhere – this was when I’d began carrying a sketchbook with me all the time. I was self-taught through middle and most of high school - I’d started expanding my skills to still life and collaborating work with some of my artistic friends. In my senior year at high school, I finally took a couple of art elective classes. I’d resisted for a long time because I really didn’t want to be told how to do art – in my mind, art was created out of emotions and could be anything anyone wanted. Subjective.
In college I continued to pursue my art – and knocked heads with most of my professors along the way, as I couldn’t understand at the time that they weren’t telling me necessarily WHAT to create, but more of the skills on HOW to create things or take them to the next level. I’ve always favored the 2-D arts of drawing and painting. My father is a photographer and videographer – growing up with a camera was natural for me and I passed on any photography classes during college, learning everything on my own and from my dad. I found myself intrigued with metalsmithing and jewelry making, which I ended up specializing in for my Bachelor of Fine Arts, Traditional Art. During college, my fanatic passion with Sailor Moon and other anime and manga fell to the wayside. I began to focus my works on creating things from the fantasy/sci-fi, paranormal books I read, and the pagan influences I was drawn towards and becoming deeply passionate about. After college, my work became a combination of my passions, and of completing commissions for others covering a wide range of subjects.
Today, my work is inspired with a wide range of fantasy/sci-fi, paranormal, pagan, Celtic & Baltic art, their cultures, weapon culture, sexuality, kink and tattoo cultures, and equally driven by emotions. I create art from the world around me, photographing things and perspectives I find intriguing, drawing or painting things, people, or animals that cause intense feelings. I create art daily, even if it’s just a simple sketch – not everything has to go up on social media, however it’s incredibly important to be constantly working at what you love to do. I run my art business on the side currently, however my goal is to make the jump and become a full-time working artist. I’m a huge fan and supporter of local artists and small businesses, and actively participate in a variety of communities that align with my artistic passions and interests.“
