About ME
Art has always been a part of my life. As a child I had a knack for drawing and would sometimes sell unicorn drawings door-to-door with a friend. When people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I’d say I wanted to be a mom and an artist.
I took art classes in high school and college and received a BFA from the University of Utah in 2005. After graduating, I moved to Northern Virginia where I worked in an office job for five years, doing a little painting on the side. In 2010, after deciding I wanted art to be a bigger priority in my life, I moved back to Salt Lake and began studying with Jeff Hein at the Hein Academy of Art. I graduated in 2015, just after getting married. We now have two little girls and a baby boy so I’m currently living my dream of being a mom and an artist!
About My technique
I enjoy two very different styles of painting. The first is representational where I depict a specific image using intentional, controlled strokes. I studied for years to improve my drawing abilities and feel great satisfaction when I can create a likeness of a person or object on a flat surface.
The other style of painting is abstract where I sometimes begin without a clear end in mind. I love to experiment with the paint by diluting it, dripping it, combining different mediums, and layering colors. I like to watch the paint move around on the canvas and see what I can create without having complete control.
In both of these techniques I delight in the act of painting as well as in the finished product and the sweet spot for me right now is finding a balance between these two approaches. In my recent starry sky paintings I begin the process with dripping and layering and I slowly build up the paint to create rich colors and depth. Adding a highly rendered person is like the cherry on top.
Awards and Honors
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints International Art Competition, Award of Merit, 2019
Springville Spiritual and Religious Show, Honorable Mention, 2018
Eccles Community Art Center Black and White Competition, Juror's Award, 2016
Portrait Society of America, Conference Tuition Scholarship, 2016
Sandy Visual Arts Show, Third Place, 2015
Gospel Vision of the Arts Scholarship, 2014
Exhibitions
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints International Art Competition, 2022
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints International Art Competition, 2019
Springville Spiritual and Religious Show, 2018
Eccles Community Art Center Black and White Competition, 2016
Springville Spiritual and Religious Show, 2015
Sandy Visual Arts Show, 2015
Hein Academy of Art Graduation Show, 2015
Education
Hein Academy of Art, 2010-2015
University of Utah BFA, 2005