I am in love with art. I always have been. I grew up going to my older sister's dance shows- her dance teacher was absolutely magical. I was inspired by the mesmerizing costumes and scenes they had. While I never felt drawn to dance, I have always been a performer, which eventually led me into scene design, prop design, and designing stage costumes. In college, I became infatuated with being able to create anything I could imagine. I was a glass sculptor, a screen-printer, a photographer, a prop-maker, a fashion designer, and one of the early digital artists (think digital cameras with floppy disc memory). I traveled around a lot after college (California, New York, Rome, Seattle), supporting other artists as an apprentice and learning their craft. It was an incredible journey, but the art community in Oklahoma City (my hometown) was growing stronger and more vibrant and I always found myself going back home. I wanted to be a part of that amazing art community and it was then that I started working alongside some very talented teaching artists.
I became passionate about getting art into the hands of kids. I did community engagement events, working with families and showing them how to be creative together. I worked for the Arts After School program with the Arts Council of Oklahoma City which led me to my career in art education. After my first year teaching art in a public school in Oklahoma, I found myself headed to the Florida Keys with my boat captain husband and 2 year old daughter. I had a dream of building my own art program from scratch. In the fall of 2019, my dream became a reality at Sugarloaf School, teaching 600+ K-8th grade students. They are resilient little artists who inspire me every day. My belief is that exposure to art not only enhances academics and critical thinking but also social and emotional development through mindful practice.
I truly am an art teacher living in paradise. I am thrilled to share my passion for art with my community both through my paint classes and in my teaching career. I love when someone comes to my paint classes stressed out and completely forgets about their worries after they have painted. That emotional recharge is exactly why I teach what I teach. My daughter Piper, now 8, and my son Jameson, now 4, LOVE to help mommy paint and make their own masterpieces. Piper has even started publishing sketchbooks with me, available on Amazon. These two are my world and my goal is to make this world a little brighter for them. I hope we are able to create together soon!