“There are no mistakes, only happy accidents” ~Bob Ross
As a small child, those words absorbed into me as I watched Bob Ross religiously day after day creating beautiful pieces of art on PBS. At a young age he showed me that art is about manifesting the creativity in your mind into physical form. He is my muse and because of him, brainstorming, creating, producing artwork is my yoga… my meditation… my therapist. My day’s stress and worries are washed away when I sit down to work.
I grew up in the small riverfront town of Washington, Missouri just west of St. Louis. In High School, I was involved in numerous activities throughout the years but none of them were art related. Art was a hobby, a hidden talent reserved for doodling in my history notebook. I never really considered life as an artist because, aside from Bob Ross, who could survive being a professional artist? It wasn’t until I signed up for an elective graphic arts course at Meramec Community College that I realized I could make a profession out of my talent and not end up the typical “starving artist”. With the combination of technology and artistry the possibilities for creativity as an income became limitless.
So that is when my ‘art-life’ began. Design course after design course, drawing classes, 3D classes, print making classes; idea after idea after idea came to me. I love it all! I transferred to Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri and in 2006 graduated with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design.
My art portfolio has extended beyond graphic arts to include acrylics, watercolor, pastels, oil pastels, charcoal, graphite, printmaking, photo transfers, photography, and ceramics. I have continually had requests from friends and family to have artwork created for them. As the requests grew, I realized that it was time to create more pieces and extend my viewing audience past close friends and family.
The biggest compliment I can receive as an artist is that the viewer becomes as mesmerized or ‘lost’ within the piece as I was when I created it. That is my wish for all my viewers.
