About Me
Discover the Soulful Narratives Woven into Every Brushstroke
Artist Statement
Art found me when I was lost. In 2019, a brain injury abruptly ended my 25-year career as a nurse—the role that had given my life meaning and purpose. In an instant, the healer became the one in need of healing. The left side of my brain, the part that had navigated the logic and precision of medicine, was damaged, and I was left standing at the threshold of something completely foreign: the world of creativity. It was terrifying. But slowly, as I picked up a brush, something inside me stirred. What felt like an end became an invitation—a call to heal in a different way. Painting became my lifeline, a space where my body, soul, and mind could begin to mend. Each brushstroke is more than color on canvas; it’s a conversation between my fractured past and my present self, between pain and peace. Through this process, I connect deeply with the Divine, allowing something greater than me to guide my hand and fill the spaces I once thought were broken.
People often tell me my work feels both alive and calming, playful yet introspective. I think that’s because it holds all of me—the grief, the gratitude, the questions, and the quiet moments of grace. I paint not just to express, but to connect, to offer a space where others can see themselves reflected, where emotions can breathe and maybe even heal. My art is my heart on canvas, imperfect and honest, hoping to reach the hearts of others. It’s my way of still being a healer, just in a different form—inviting people into a world where beauty, pain and transformation coexist, and where, for a moment, they might feel a little less alone.
"God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called."
-Mark Batterson
A little More About Me
Art was never my first love, nor did I envision a path where creativity would play such a pivotal role in my life. My accolades have little to do with artistic accomplishments; instead, they are rooted in a fulfilling 25-year-long nursing career. I earned a Master’s in Nursing Leadership and proudly served as a Critical Care nurse in the United States Air Force, even deploying to Afghanistan after the tragic events of 9/11. Later, I found profound meaning in hospice care, where I was honored to witness the sacred transition of life. But in 2020, everything changed. After sustaining brain injuries in 2019, I was forced to retire my nursing license. I lost the critical thinking skills I once trusted implicitly, leaving me to mourn the career that had become central to my identity.
The trauma that ended my career, however, became the unexpected doorway to my creative awakening. With the left side of my brain most affected by the injury, I had to strengthen my right brain—embracing creativity, intuition, and emotion, areas I had never fully explored. Painting on large surfaces became my therapy, my expression, and ultimately, my passion. Through this process, I discovered a well of creativity that had long been dormant. My tagline, “Colliding with Beauty,” reflects how trauma shattered my old self, only to reveal an acute awareness of beauty in the world around me. I have shed layers of perfectionism, shame, and self-criticism, stepping into a life that celebrates vulnerability and authenticity. Though I still grieve my losses, I am grateful for the gift of becoming who I was always meant to be—a powerful survivor, an artist, and a seeker of beauty that has been refined through pain.