I love being outdoors! Getting connected with nature illuminates and motivates me.  In the sun, under bright skies is when I’m the happiest, so chasing that feeling and relaying it is what moves me into the studio. Days at the beach fill me with inspiration as I am always in awe of nature, its beauty and intricacies. The birds, flowers and coastal life of the gulf are my muse and I delight in studying them and how they relate to the world.   I hope to communicate my joy in the creative process, because constructing my work is so fun for me.  My obsession with art history and drawing drove me to receive a BFA, and ever since I have been experimenting to develop work that is authentic and unique. After painting acrylic backgrounds, I create the subject matter with paper, which is cut or ripped, then layered and collaged.  Through the paper, I can offer attention to detail with a playful twist. The paper often contains text that provides something thought provoking, and threads of metallic that shine and add life to the pieces.   I regularly hear that my work makes people happy, and I am so pleased to be the conduit of that emotion for them. I believe joy, itself, does have meaning and substance, and has importance in art.  So my greatest honor has been to give back, through my work, by spreading joy to the people who view it.