About Me

I began studying art seriously in my teens by taking evening classes with Gustav Trois, a prominent Washington, DC artist whose work is housed in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian. In his classes, I was classically trained to paint realistically with oil paints, and use its array of mostly muted colors. As oil paints have a slow drying time, it is easier to manipulate the paint and achieve textured brushstrokes. But while majoring in studio art in college, I learned the benefits of acrylic paint and never looked back. Not only do acrylics dry faster, but their vibrant colors and ability to achieve flat, solid areas of colors allowed me to explore colors and shapes in a new way.

I’ve always enjoyed figurative painting, especially portraits. Since moving to south Florida I have been painting other subjects too — especially those subjects that convey the beauty and joy of its year-round, outdoor lifestyle.

I’m also a proud lifelong learner. I have consistently studied painting and devoted several years to learning alternate art mediums such as digital illustration, photography, graphic design, and printmaking. The combination of art and design significantly impact my current work.

My work has been displayed in numerous juried art league shows, the AutoNation Academy of Art & Design at Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs Museum of Art, the Strathmore, and the Penn Place Gallery in Maryland.

About My Process

I begin each painting with an initial sketch in one color of acrylic paint that has been watered down (similar to a gouache) on a gesso-primed canvas. I always use a photo as a reference, though the painting evolves throughout the process. This is where the fun of painting comes in—until it’s done, it’s a work in progress.

Once my sketch is loosely completed, I begin painting solid color blocks in a variety of shapes to achieve my flat, minimal, illustration-like, painting style. 

To purposefully achieve solid, flat areas of color, I paint a specific area in a horizontal direction. Then I paint over the same area in the opposite (or vertical) direction. This technique invites the viewers to clearly see the solid, flat shape and, at the same time, takes away their ability to see the brush strokes.