I grew up obsessed with comic books. Creating characters with supernatural abilities and backstories, searching the dictionary for meaningful hero and villain names, and diligently studying anatomy in order to draw them realistically - this is how I spent much of my childhood. However, when it was time to choose a career, my parents advised me to keep art as a hobby and pursue financial stability. Twenty years later, opportunity in the form of being laid off from my I.T. job and finding incredible inspirations from artists on the internet, re-sparked my love and pursuit of creating art.

 

After all this time, I have returned to creating characters but in a different way. A simple painting of a face can tell a layered story, and reveal strengths and vulnerabilities. Spending much of my life suppressing my emotions, I did not appreciate the importance of becoming vulnerable to others until very recently. I always considered vulnerability to be a weakness, but now I see it as a strength. The paintings allow me a medium to express the emotional layers while the viewer of the painting then creates their own narrative from their own life experiences and story. This connection has been powerful to me and propels me toward further explorations.

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One of my children is non verbal, with significant developmental delays. A lot of my work reveals the challenges and joys of raising him thus far. In navigating through his first eight years of life, I have seen how much support parents of special needs children require to have any hope of thriving. Only the parents know some of the unique needs that help the family get through the difficult days and the gaps our current system leaves. Our family’s journey has inspired me to want to reach out to other special needs families, so 50% of each sale will be contributed to a charity I am creating called Elijah Loves. I find the endeavor enthralling and look forward to sharing the details with you as they develop.