Inspiration for My Original Artwork

 I grew up in Colorado, which is the inspiration for most of my artwork.  I was a painfully shy kid, always so unsure of myself.  I began to find art as an escape, but also as a voice when I didn't have the words or courage to express myself.  Many times, when we would go up to the mountains, I would venture off with my paper and crayons, finding a spot underneath the tall aspens to write, draw, and dream.  

Fast forward, I am still a shy writer, artist, and dreamer.  I still express my many emotions through my original artwork and I hope my work speaks to the heart of every viewer. 

Not only do I love painting scenes with flowers, birds, and trees, you probably figured out that I also love bright, happy colors!  In my work, I use acrylic paints and inks, watercolors, and pastels. 

My work is a process of creating layers.  There are many layers of hand-painted papers, inks, and paints that create patterns and texture in my pieces.  The bark on many of my trees is  heavily textured to create the illusion that the trees are in the forefront of the painting, like you could reach out and touch them!

I also love the idea of turning discarded, forgotten about items into a work of art.  In my mixed media pieces, you will often see vintage sheet music, old ledger sheets, discarded scraps of paper or book pages, peeking out from one of my backgrounds.  I feel it's a way of honoring the past and giving it new life in a new, original piece of artwork.