Q:   Can you share how your artistic journey began? What inspired you to start creating, and how has that initial spark evolved over time?

A: I have been creating since I was a child running around on my grandparents farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I would take crayons and paper outside and sit for hours drawing the animals and plants. When I wasn't drawing I was usually hiding somewhere with a book and losing myself in the stories.

I started writing and illustrating my own stories from a young age and was encouraged by my art teacher to pursue my drawing interests. I was lucky to have such encouragement from her. She would put my work in little shows that I would place in and win ribbons. That definitely started the spark which continued through school and I ended up majoring in Studio Art in college and went on to get my MA in Art Education.

I taught for over a decade during which time I kept exploring a wide variety of medium from mosaics and stained glass, printmaking, and painting large scale murals. With the birth of my children my attention turned to smaller projects like watercolor and colored pencil drawings that I could easily carry with me or pull out to work on when they napped or I had some free time. When they started elementary school, I had a lot more time to focus on selling my work locally in markets, on Etsy, and through commissions. 

During Covid, I took some courses in digital tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Procreate and learned to make patterns. That took my art in a new direction because I was finally able to create my own books from start to finish, build a Spoonflower shop full of patterns, and build a portfolio to refine my artistic style.

Q:   What have been some of the most significant moments or challenges in your journey as an artist?

A: Having children is definitely something that changed my ability to create as much as I wanted. Before having kids, I could get all the big materials out and create art as long as I wanted. But little hands tend to get into everything so I had to learn to be more flexible with my time and create pockets of time where I could still be creative while attending to the needs of my family.

Some of my favorite memories are setting them up with materials and having us all sit and create art or draw together. I was able to keep up a creative practice that helped build my skills and prepare me for eventually starting my small business and publishing my first two books. I think it takes a lot of problem solving skills to manage three kids and still keep creating! And these skills have continued to help me as I grow as an artist.

Q:   If you could offer one piece of advice to other creatives pursuing a career in visual arts, what would it be?

A: Create A LOT! There is a lot of talk about signature style and developing your voice in the art world today. I am an artist that likes to work in a lot of different ways creatively. I enjoy making patterns AND I enjoy writing stories and illustrating my books. I also love to paint large scale botanicals and create monster characters for cute stickers and tee shirts. These are just the different ways that I express my voice, and as I create more art, my signature style, interests and the subject matter have become more evident.

I love to draw mythical creatures and botanicals and I don't feel like I need to pick just one because they are both woven throughout my work. Because I've created so much artwork, my style is naturally evident. So keep creating and keep sharing your work. It does take time to get there but the more you create, the more you are building your skills and developing your own unique voice.