My Mission Statement

I believe that God has blessed me with an artistic ability. I want to demonstrate and develop that ability in order to glorify God and also to realize my potential as His creation. I believe in the spirit of community and the way that a creative piece of art helps open us up to each other, evoking conversation and appreciation, making us all a little more transparent. I see art as a beautiful thing that helps all of us smile and pause- if just for a moment- and I want to bring this experience into homes and businesses across Colorado Springs.

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I want my clients to be very comfortable with my skills and my demeanor. If you are interested in my services, please explore my portfolios to see if you like the feel of my work or not. Each artist has their own way of portraying things, their own style that lives within them. If mine doesn't feel right to you, then you may want to search elsewhere for help with your creative needs. If you love what you see, contact me by phone or email and we can meet and discuss the project you have in mind. I will not charge you for an initial discussion and Q & A.

If you love my style but want to pursue something in an area not listed, please don't hesitate to call or email me . I will be very honest with you about my comfort level with any specific medium, and will never pursue a project with a client if I think I may be less-than capable of it.

About Me

I am a Colorado-born, Colorado-raised artist. I feel that this gorgeous state has given me more inspiration than anything else over the years. I am absolutely blessed to live and breathe in such an awe-inducing place. I can see Pikes Peak anytime of the day. I take regular trips into the mountains, Garden of the Gods, Palmer Lake, Grand Junction, and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. I take my camera everywhere I go and am sometimes fascinated by the unexpected places I find a good photograph. This state is my home and my muse, and therefore much of my work portrays Colorado directly, in reverance to the beauty I have been surrounded with.

My Background

When I was still in elementary school I received an oil painting kit for Christmas. I had grown weary of the "unprofessional" plastic watercolor set I had used up until that point! But it was much later that I started broadening my skills and utilizing techniques when I began classes at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. From then on, whenever I painted, it was with oils. I started using acrylic recently out of necessity- (the time until the paint is fully set is about 24 hours for acrylic whereas for oils it can up to 10 or 12 weeks). I had a need to get a painting done quickly, so I used acrylics. Since then I have continued to use acrylics. Depending on the desired finished look, acrylic and oil paints both have individual characteristics that lend themselves to different projects. I love being able to recreate photographs for people who want a very special and striking representation of their loved one above the mantle. I decided long ago that I wouldn't solely produce artwork that came from my imagination. I have always wanted to enable people to have the fine art they themselves dreamed of. What a great way to truly personalize your home!

I have been drawing with graphite since I was 12 years old, when my parents enrolled me in a class taught by a professional artist. Maybe they thought that if I had an outlet I would quit doodling on my homework in the middle of class. I did a self-portrait when I was fourteen (which can be seen on this site on the "Welcome" page) and every one of a couple dozen graphite drawings for my high school yearbook, including an advertisement for a local business. I still love using graphite as it portrays such raw, black and white emotion.

Photography is perhaps my favorite past-time. I do mostly outdoor/nature photography, including botany and landscapes. When I was barely fourteen I was given my grandmother's 35mm professional level Minolta. I was entranced and carried it everywhere I went. When it came time to upgrade to digital, I did it begrudgingly, not able to completely let go of my Minolta. Digital, however, has greatly broadened my ability to get the "perfect" picture. Film still has its place in my art, but especially for commissioned work, I find myself using digital quite often.