The person under all thAt paint.

The Why 

I am a painter based in Kansas City who believes in using art to help intentionally curate the spaces where we live our lives to reflect what we love and value most in this world.  

The thing that fascinates me most about art is the way our magical brains can pull forward a flood of memories and emotions after seeing something for less than a second. We see and, in an instant, are transported to a time or experience. And – the coolest thing – 10 people can see the same thing and all feel drawn to it for 10 different reasons. But they become connected over a shared love of that thing. When this happens with a piece of my art, I become connected to entire groups of people who love something I love too. That is why I paint.  

Accolades

My work has been featured by The Kansas City Star, ESPN Kansas City, Startland News, KC Spaces, KSHB41, KMBC9 and more. I am best known in the Midwest for a collection of officially licensed Jayhawk paintings and a body of work largely inspired by the flora and fauna of the region and my own story. Check out my press page for links to everything. 

About my work

I have an insatiable curiosity and a love of storytelling. The artwork I make is a lot like me – equal parts careful planning and spontaneous exploration and messiness. The style can be described as expressionist-meets-realism. It is riotously colorful and textured, often including drips and raw edges paradoxically layered with carefully rendered subjects. A spirit of experimentation defines my use of materials/medium, sometimes resulting in the alchemy of meaningful substances into parts of my artwork. My best known example of this is physically incorporating limestone “Rock Chalk” into my paint on the Original Six Jayhawks. I have also worked with real diamonds, stone remands from meaningful buildings, ash, and a number of collectors’ personal artifacts. 

Incorporating unconventional materials into my work, most often in my commission work, is all about making art with a layered story. Sometimes a physical incorporation adds something really unique to the piece. I love that process of discovery.  

My history  

I grew up in St Louis and went to KU where I received a degree in visual communications. I moved to Chicago after college to pursue that career in graphic design. In 2010 I began working for myself, taking on freelance design clients and growing my branding business over the years into one that focused exclusively on clients in the food industry, specifically fast casual restaurants. I honed a skill for writing brand books and helping clients to establish a consistent visual “voice.”  

In 2016 I injured my back and took a sabbatical from work to recover. It was during that time that I began painting again, something I had always done on the side but without much regularity. For one, I lived in Chicago for about 10 years and never had the space to keep a room of supplies out. I am also extremely messy in my practice – not great for a renter. I was also feeling burnt out from my design career, and missing the analog aspect of making art with my hands. I asked myself, “is it possible to make a living as an artist?” All evidence pointed to the contrary, but I had to try. So I closed my design business and leapt. My life has changed in strange and wonderful ways since making that decision and I haven’t looked back.  

Me today  

My studio in the West Bottoms neighborhood of Kansas CIty, one of my favorite places, and I live with my husband and our two small kids in Overland Park. I have a deep and abiding love of documentaries about nature or treasure hunts, and take a good deal of teasing for watching National Treasure literally every time it is on TV. I love reading, podcasts and magazines of every variety. I also enjoy cycling, walking in the woods and traveling. I am a Taurus, an empath and a classic introvert.