As long as I can remember, ART has meant oxygen to me. My grandfather used to give me a new set of crayola crayons WITH a sharpener every Christmas. (I was giddy with excitement at the mere thought!) By the time I was eight I was self publishing and distributing my own magazine and gave a copy to each of my family members (I replicated it on my trusty gumby lightboard) Art, the act of creating art and the sharing of art has surrounded some of the most profound experiences of my life. I use it to celebrate and to mourn, to learn, and to grow. Art has been and remains one of my most precious gifts.
When asked what media I work in I have great difficulty in defining one or two. It is clear to me that beauty exsists in everything we do. How we plan and prepare a meal, a card sent to a friend, the arrangement of a room, or the planting of a garden. To me art is as much about the journey to create it as it is that final creation. Art should evoke a profound reaction or thought. Art should inspire. The tools in which I use to create are often anything I can get my hands on. I am blessed to not feel limited to one media. I love the rich fluid motion of watercolor, the layering ability of colored pencil, the definition of inks. I am inspired to create wearable art, art rich with symbolic and spiritual inspirations and art you are able to touch. For much of my life I have struggled with defining myself as an artist, however I have grown to embrace the honor of this gift. Regardless if I am taking a photograph or creating a mandala- art is GOOD, art is a gift, art is oxygen!