In fourth grade, we had to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. I simply drew a girl and an easel. When it was my turn to talk about my drawing, I said I wanted to be a starving artist.

Looking back, it seems only natural that I would become an artist. I'm constantly looking at life as if it were a still life, portrait, or landscape worth painting. The play of light and shadow, the luminosity in life in general is what makes me pause. The details in my surroundings (the people/ animals/ flowers/ leaves), are what inspire me to create.

I mostly use colored pencils or watercolors for nature, playing with the amount of detail I want to include. In painting, I layer the watercolors to take advantage of the translucent nature of the paint. This glazing process transitions nicely to how I use colored pencil, layering the pigments until the surface is saturated with color.

I choose charcoal for portraits and animals so I can sculpt the image, pulling it out on a 2 dimensional surface. Vine or willow charcoal and a kneaded eraser is all I need to get the effect I'm after.

EDUCATION

·         B.A. in Fine Art, Meredith College | 1998 | Raleigh NC

·         B.A. in History, Meredith College | 1998 | Raleigh NC

AWARDS & JURIED SHOWS

Violet | Colored Pencil | 11th International Fine Arts Show | American Juried Art Salon | 2010 | Plano Texas

Portrait of Wayne Lehto, Sr. | Pen and Ink (Stippling) | 1st Place - In Honor | 1991 | North Ridge Portrait Competition | Raleigh NC

Golden Key | 1991 | Durham NC

 

EXHIBITIONS

·         Alamance County Studio Tour | 2011 | Mebane NC

·         Saxapahaw Artists “Summer in America” | 2011 | Saxapahaw NC

·         Royal Bean | 2010 | Raleigh NC

·         Tyler D Studios | 2009 | Burlington NC

·         Art & Soul Studios “Aloha” | 2009 | Mebane NC

·         Art & Soul Studios “Together Again” | 2009 | Mebane NC

·         Churton Street Realty | 2009 | Hillsborough NC

·         Benjamin Winery | 2009 | Saxapahaw NC

·         Mebane Public Library | 2008 | Mebane NC

·         Art & Soul Studios | 2008 | Mebane NC

·         Meredith College | 1998 | Raleigh NC

 

GALLERIES

Saxapahaw Artists | 2011 | Saxapahaw NC

Art & Soul Studios | 2007-2009 | Mebane NC

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Mebane NC       Chapel Hill NC

Tryon NC          Durham NC

Raleigh NC        Benson NC

Hartford,CT       Bozeman MT

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

·         CPSA Membership, the Colored Pencil Society of America: www.cpsa.org

·         CPSA District Chapter 114: http://cpsadc114.org

·         Alamance Artisans, NC: www.alamanceartisans.com

·         Visual Artist Exchange, Raleigh NC: www.vae.org