My Story

I never thought of myself as an artist. I was never any good at anything artistic. If someone would have told me one day I would become an abstract artist, I would have laughed. I have never even taken an art class, my handwriting is terrible, and I can’t draw!! At a certain part of my life I was lost and searching for a creative way to express myself. I went to a local art store and purchased 3 canvases, a sponge, an inexpensive pack of brushes, and 3 tubes of paint: red, black, and white. This began a journey into a very monochromatic start into abstract painting...

I painted in only red, black, and white for roughly 5 years, the last of which only black and white. A friend of mine told me to try painting with only color. No black and white…. What?! I didn’t even know where to start! But, I took his advice and this is what I painted.

It was a challenge for me but… I was really excited about how it turned out! And I really enjoyed how the colors spoke to me. This changed how I painted. It changed how I looked at my art. Not overnight, but over time. Little by little I added color to the black and white style that calmed me. It brought on a new perspective. I felt slightly more comfortable with color. But this took years.

After a while, I hit a wall. I didn’t really know what I was doing. So, I decided to do some research into other artists. This was a turning point! I couldn’t believe how art made me feel. Not just paintings, but sculpture and installation art. I began to understand art in different way. But, I still didn’t know how to make marks and brush strokes like they did. It was frustrating to say the least. I just kept painting. Painting was and still is my release. It calms my mind and allows me to focus on one thing; creating something that gives me this feeling. I can’t describe it but, it’s the same feeling I get when I walk into a room I have never been before. Or visit a place I have never been. Or hear a song I’ve never heard. There’s a mystery to it that I must understand. A code I must crack. So I just keep painting…