Reeling it in, tools that are absolutely essential to my work are pencils, tracing paper, erasers, a good pen, gesso (preferably transparent), oil paints, gamsol, paintbrushes, rags, my sketchbook, my dog, a dense reference library of personal photographs that exist on my phone, a friend to bounce ideas off of, a laptop I abuse as a light board, an ipad with procreate for color studies, a big stack of artist books and random hard copies of inspiration I have toted throughout the many spaces I have inhabited, some serious light (ideally natural), and a great playlist. Writing that all down, it sounds like a lot. Oh! And a good cup of coffee. Essential!

My process is very analog. My sketchbook is my favorite companion. I use it as a catch-all for inspiration and ephemera I encounter in day-to-day life. I use it as a place to explore and mess up. It’s not always pretty, but I give myself the space to explore there. Looking back in this visual journal I feel inspired.

I am delighted, grateful, aghast, and in awe that I have recently rented my own studio! I am not only making art in my living room these days! What! It is located at Monterey Court Studio Galleries, a local music venue with live bands 6 nights a week. It has been such a wonderful space to spend time in. I’ll admit, it has mostly been for catching up on homework rather than deep hours creating passion projects.  I’ve only been there for a few months so I am trying to be patient with myself. 

I rotate through objects that keep me company. Usually I collect too many plants, crystals, trinkets, chatchkis, sculptures, ephemera. I get overwhelmed by the inspo monopolizing my working space and end up packing it all away. It is a constant search for the balance of enough space to work, and enough things that ignite joy. More importantly, I am greatly motivated by my close relationships and the conversations that spark. A facetime with bestie will result in a laughing attack and an idea to draw a silly joke. Spending time on one project inspires the next when someone says “this reminds me of…” I try my best to create work that is relatable. I want everyone to feel seen. I want my work to be approachable. I rely on my own references as much as possible, hiding from social media as much as I can. It is an imperfect system. I am extremely influenced by imagery and color and get enthusiastic (and sidetracked) easily. I guess you can say my motto is “what’s next??”