Artist Statement

Why I create ...

If you were sitting across from me right now, you’d see my knee bouncing and my fingers tapping. I can’t stop moving. Ideas, fears and hopes are constantly racing through my head. It’s rush hour traffic in my head all the time. But when a canvas is placed in front of me, all the noise melts away. I can focus, and my soul stills.

So, I paint because I have to. I paint to calm the chaos in my head. What you see in these pieces is the tumult of my mind being unleashed. I release the stories that choke me and let them flow onto the art.

I paint to seek joy and make my heart sing. I paint to unearth the stories that shape me. I paint to create new stories of hope and happiness. I paint as a form of self-therapy. I paint because I have to.

My art frees me … so I can live.