Biography

I was born in southwest Virginia (the Great Appalachian Valley, if you will) in 1989. I’ve loved creating since I was young- whether it be cutting up and reassembling cardboard boxes into structures, weaving flower crowns in the outfield during PE, or making a book bag out of duct tape. I’ve never been pretentious about what I make art out of, but I fell in love with the impasto painting technique after an undergraduate assignment to copy a master work- I chose Claude Monet. I’ve always admired a good landscape view. Growing up I spent a lot of time on our family farm in Chilhowie, Virginia and that no doubt fostered my love of rolling hills, rippling meadows, and fluffy clouds. When I saw what Joan Mitchell did with landscape in undergrad, it opened up a possibility of marrying my love of landscapes and non-objective art. My work varies in a spectrum of abstraction, but I carry my love of Mitchell in each palette knife stroke. 

I earned a BFA with a concentration in painting and drawing and studied art education at James Madison University. I returned to complete a Masters in Art Education a couple of years later with some teaching experience under my belt. I taught art at the high school level for 9 years with elementary-middle school summer camps and some college adjunct work sprinkled in. I went on to teach at the middle school level in the midst of a global pandemic for two years. I’ve stepped back from teaching to dedicate time and space to my own art making.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to learn under the artist mentorship of Benjamin Frey- a Buena Vista, Va based artist with a CV and portfolio that will bring tears to your art-loving eyes. 

I currently  live in Rockbridge County, Va with my husband and two kids. My current studio is in nearby Buena Vista. For now I’m exploring. I’ll paint whenever possible and think about it when I’m not. Thank you for joining me here. 

To learn more, here’s my CV.