Where did it all begin?
If I had to pinpoint my meet cute with the art world,…
I was about 7 or so? My mom took me to see a traveling exhibition of Renoir. IT WAS FASCINATING! I went home and wrote it down in my diary that “someday, I will be an artist”.
I studied graphic design and advertising in school, and have had a very successful career managing design work for big brands while continuing my painting “passion” projects.
This love affair will never end for me, and with the platform
Journey of an Artist, I hope will take it to a new level.
I started Journey of an Artist in 2013, as a platform to share my creative ventures. It started with making and selling giant wall hangings on Etsy and then paintings, and then dabbling with laser cutting and woodworking.
I had already started selling paintings in 2009 and doing many gallery shows before JOA came to be but I liked that this gave my work a “brand” to live under besides just my name. A space that could ebb and flow with me and still feel cohesive since I really liked trying many things. I feel an artist isn’t just a painter or potter or a photographer but an artist is creative in all aspects of life and why limit yourself?
Then 2020 I was reconnected with painting again and had a lot of time to do it in lockdown. I found myself more and more painting flowers and natural abstracts to pass the time. It felt joyful in a era that wasn’t, and I found that there was a lot of community out there looking for the same. Again I was called to exploring art outside of what I knew. New techniques and methods. This time creating my own inks, paints, and researching the histories of pigments. Foraging for rocks, leaves and fruits to test new colors and record them. I released my work in several series and themes. Then after we were back to doing IRL shows and markets and I had begun sharing my flowers with as many people as I could and its been fun to still be working “in the flowers” as I paint.
I took a short break from painting to have my son and now as am making my way back into art, I can feel the shift of creativity again with my new title Mom, attached. What is it like to be a mom and an artist?
Who has the time? Should I only be focusing on one thing, when I have several things I want to try? I want to share the artistry of all the creative outlets I have, not just my paintings, after all thats why I started here. I enjoy the process and exploration of art. Trying new things, finding new hobbies/crafts and finding my way in the creative world. This time its with the goal to inspire other women to build a life not defined to a path, but that can have many directions, side quests, trails and U-turns as necessary to build a life that is fulfilling and not one that just checks the boxes.
We can create whatever we want for ourselves.
There’s always room at the art table.