Nonperishable

I’ve been a full-time professional artist for 18 years, and I’ve always considered myself an artist. Luckily, my parents and teachers recognized my enthusiasm early on and encouraged me to pursue it. As a result, I’ve logged more hours of practice than most people who claim they aren’t artistic. From the very beginning, the fun has always come from experimenting and playing. When I’m in that state, ideas seem to come out of nowhere, or I’ll have a vision of how something should be painted and it almost feels like the painting creates itself. It’s as if I’m simply watching it unfold. The trick is to remain present, but also to step back and let the process take over. My high school had a strong art program, and I attended some college at SAIC. A few years later, I landed a nice project and decided to take a leap of faith, investing in my art career to go full-time. It’s been an incredibly challenging journey, but I’m still learning, constantly improving my skills with every project, and growing on a personal level every single day. I wouldn’t trade this path for anything—it’s infinitely rewarding. I started with oil on canvas paintings, then brushed murals, mosaics, ceramics, custom tile design and fabrication, and now I’m mostly focused on spray-painted murals and public art. I’ve been lucky enough to paint murals across the US.