Hi There!

I was born in Peoria, Illinois and have lived in the Central Illinois area nearly my entire life. Born to a pianist mother and an artist father, I have been surrounded by art my entire life. Throughout high school I was challenged to explore multi-mediums, yet gravitated towards oil based colored pencil, charcoal, and more intensely acrylic painting.

 

In 1999 I was awarded first place through the "Congressional Art Competition", and was presented the award by Ray LaHood for my colored pencil/paint mixed medium painting entitled "Foul Faced". In 2001 I won the Janette Faye Browning Scholarship for accomplished artist for Richwoods High School, which is a scholarship awarded to one artist every year whom exhibits the most advancement, accomplishment, and projected success. I was awarded a scholarship to attend St. Ambrose University to focus my undergraduate work or minor in studio arts in the same year. My professors quickly coined me "the dark artist" due to the dramatic, dismal, and intense imagery projected on the canvas.

 

I obtained her Bachelors Degree in Forensic Psychology and minored in Studio Art and Imagery in 2005. I moved back to Peoria in 2006  and quickly surrounded myself with local community professionals and established a studio with the Contemporary Art Center located in Downtown Peoria,

 

In January 2014 my family survived a house fire and lost nearly everything.  This event changed our lives forever, and I quickly recognized the vitality of art and healing when I painted a Spiderman mural in my son's bedroom so he wouldn't be scared to come back home. This was my first mural.  

 

In 2016 I began my work  illustrating  a children's book entitled Windsong, written by New York Author, Concetta Rose Rella and on March 16, 2017 Windsong was published. In May 2017, I obtained my Masters Degree in Business Administration and Executive Development through Bradley University.

 

I have partnered and participated in community art shows such as the Delavan Art Show, Washington Art Festival, American Historical Society, Peoria Zoological Society,  Historic Galesburg, Peoria Historical Society, Peoria Art Guild, and was selected muralist for the 2018 1st Annual Big Picture Peoria. I still continue my visual artistry and am building community relationships by completing large scale mural work  work for Peoria County, LISC, AmeriCorps, and Peoria Public School District #150, and Big Picture Peoria.

 

I currently reside in Peoria, Illinois with her husband and two  sons.