She has a bachelor of fine arts degree in drawing and painting from California State University, Fullerton but is applying to a graduate program at Cal State Long Beach. Her “mindscapes” are part of the portfolio she’s developing to submit with her application to earn a master of fine arts degree in drawing and painting— contemporary practices.
The stay-at-home mother’s future plans include teaching art at the college level and resuming showing her work in galleries.
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What inspires the art you create?
My life— my circumstances, what I am going through. It is the human condition that inspires my art. What we are on the inside versus what we project on the out. How we fight to be different, yet conform to be the same. I look for patterns, repetition and the change. I am inspired by the interconnection of all things.
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How do you feel when people ask you to explain the meaning of your art?
I love it when people are interested enough in my art to ask me its meaning. The thing is though, I don’t always have the answers. I work from my gut, and a lot of what ends up on the canvas is a mystery to myself. If I could describe it all in words, I would be writing it down instead of creating visual images.
What kind of creative rituals do you have?
Every morning I read passages I have marked from a biography on Georgia O’Keeffe. I go for a daily walk to clear my mind and to see what the Earth has to offer. I pin inspiring images and words on Pinterest every chance I get. And at the end of the day, I must, must, must clean my paint brushes.
What ends up being your biggest source of frustration as an artist?
How the artist and his art are not really valued as they should be in our society. The artist did not choose to be an artist; that is how he was made.
How has being an artist been beneficial in your life?
Art has saved my life so many times. Like everyone else, I have gone through and continue to go through trials and tribulations, but if I can lose myself in my art and feel the strength it gives me, I know I am okay. This gift of art is my centering force.
