About

Bio
b. 1984, Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.

I was borderline feral as a child–spending all my time outdoors; unencumbered with checking in, cell phones, or social media pressures. I tramped through puddles, played with frogs and turtles, and generally enjoyed being outside as much as possible. Growing up, my grandmother taught me about identifying and growing plants. My father took our family on drives to parks and through the Blue Ridge Mountains. These memories continue to influence my artistic practice and deep love for the outdoors many years later.

I excelled academically during my school years and was encouraged to find work after high school, rather than indulge in art. Delaying college (and my dreams), I pursued administrative work for several years. Eventually, I rekindled my desire to paint, and I enrolled in college. I studied at the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, DC after receiving my associate degree in fine arts Summa cum laude at Sandhills Community College in Southern Pines, NC.

I now work out of my home studio in Baltimore, Maryland, where I have access to dozens of natural resources and special hikes. I remain deeply connected to the outdoors and share a love for hiking and travel with my husband. Many of our favorite places and local surroundings inspire my work.

A statement about my current work and painting practice:

There is much overlap between my creative practice and my Jewish spirituality. Hakarat hatov, which is the Jewish tenet of looking for the good (or simply: gratitude) is my inner compass and drives how I perceive and interact with the world. Combining harkarat hatov with my affinity for plants, nature, and landscapes, I’m creating work that is deeply rooted in my personal identity, values, and passions.

As a chronic overthinker, looking for the good and connecting back to nature grounds me in the present and slows me down. Shifting my perspective and zooming in on the small details, I find inspiration and wonder in the everyday– whether it be flowers, my local landscape, animals I love, or just ordinary moments of beauty. Painting allows me to tap into wonder and gratitude no matter what might be occurring in my “real life.” My studio is a place of sanctuary, my tools are vehicles to staying connected. I work in acrylic and oil paints, water soluble media, and graphite.

My work is representational, meaning it is “of something,” though I’m not aiming for realism in painting. I’m interested in translating the felt experience and I use color, value, and marks as my visual language to achieve that. Though my work is first grounded in observation, I call myself an expressive painter as the feeling of the subject supersedes form. I don’t paint to compose a perfect scene; I paint to communicate my experience of making meaning and finding the good.