I have been making art since childhood to play and cope. I first painted a butterfly. That is the first thing I can remember painting.

I received an MFA from California College of the Arts in San Francisco in 2017 and received my BA in art from the University of Oregon in 2013. I loved being in nature in Oregon and used natural elements I found such as honeycomb and the Willamette river in my paintings and photography. In San Francisco, I painted almost everyday in a studio where I experimented with oil paints, enjoying the luscious, pleasurable medium.

Both in Eugene and SF I sold art to friends, family, privately, and informally. An online site also holds my art and sells to buyers within the country. I showed at a bar, in a cafe, in school gallery spaces, as well as public spaces. I found though, over time, how much I actually loved to just paint in the comfort of my own home in the kitchen, hands painted with plastic paint, drinking tea and using my iPhone to click pics to send recent pieces to friends and family.

In 2021 I moved out of the Bay Area to stay in a place that allows me to have freedoms and safety. I live in a small town by the beach in the Central Coast. This place holds me kindly and although I have struggled with my health it has offered me community, work, volunteer opportunities and friendships. I love to dance, lay on the beach, jump in the ocean, and do anything that wakes me up or inspires feelings of intrigue or excitement. I love talking to new people, learning in my line of work as a Peer Counselor, and volunteering for the elderly and teaching. I feel happy to live healthfully and to live in close proximity to nature.

I wrote a graphic novel throughout COVID which focused on my mental health journey that led me to SLO and it includes many of the people I met along the way. It gets deep but also has a lot of lighthearted aspects and humor. I feel I am learning that in order to grow we need each other. We need to bounce back ideas and thoughts with one another so our minds can develop, grow and change.