Peregrination: a course of travel; journey
When contemplating how I got here, creating these playgrounds and sharing them with the world, it’s hard to know where it exactly all began. Was it observing my dad’s geometric doodles in the margin of his work notes? He’s an engineer. Was it drawing shapes in washable marker on a piece of paper, passing it to the person next to me, and then adding on to the one that was passed to me, repeating this process over and over? My mom, a teacher, lead us in this activity, and I always thought her designs were the best. As a child, I always loved art class. It was special because we only got to go for one hour, every other week. It wasn’t enough time, and I always wanted more.
Fast forward to college, a time when I was undecided in what I wanted to pursue in life. I took one 2 dimensional art class at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. My biggest takeaway from that class was the focus on transitions, attempting to creatively and smoothly connect one element in a piece to another. I enjoyed several of the projects and was relatively pleased with the outcome. I ultimately did not take another art class, and when I reflect back as to why, I think it was due to a lack of confidence that I was talented enough to actually make art into a productive career. Why I thought my Sociology major would achieve this instead, I have no idea. I did, however, continue painting as a hobby. I attribute this continuation to living alone, and needing something to occupy my mind and time. Painting was a sort of therapy for me, a way for me to engage my mind for hours on end, temporarily removing my emotions from my conscious thought, and ultimately ending up with a finished canvas to decorate my walls. A fellow server at a restaurant I worked at, and an artist in his own right, assisted me in purchasing my first bottles of Golden Fluid Acrylics, which I have been using ever since. The Golden brand is high quality, and their Fluid line has always seemed like the perfect viscosity, more liquid and flowy than regular acrylics, and in my opinion much easier to mix and spread on canvas.
Upon graduating in 2008, I moved to Boulder, CO, where I continued to paint in my free time, when I wasn’t working at a homeless shelter, a sandwich shop, or going to school to get my elementary teaching license. It was also at this time, through a network of friends in the jam band and electronic music scene, I had the opportunity to paint live at many Euphonic Conceptions after parties for bands like Pnuma Trio, Emancipator, and Conspirator at venues like Cervantes, The Gothic, and even the Boulder Theatre.
My time spent painting subsided as I pursued a career as an elementary teacher. When I became a 5th grade teacher, the amount of time and energy that was available to me greatly decreased to the point where I really only painted during summer break, and those moments felt like a rare treat that I treasured and looked forward to. In 2017, after only four years of teaching, I resigned. I was burnt out because I did not have the capacity or support to give 30+ fifth graders what I knew they each individually needed. I was working so much, yet still so aware of my limitations as a teacher to that many kids, and my mental and physical well-being was suffering. Through therapy, I was able to let go of worrying about other’s opinions of my stepping away from teaching and began to focus on myself. I also married my best friend and love of my life who has continuously encouraged and supported me throughout this long strange trip, making it possible for me to pursue a path that simultaneously challenges and relaxes me while motivating and fulfilling me.
Life changed drastically for me in 2019 when I became a mom to the sweetest little boy, Delroy Jay. My focus and love went to him. We moved from Denver to Evergreen in 2020 and welcomed Carlena Jane to our family in 2021. With our family complete, my days were full seeing to their various needs and wants. As they started some very part-time pre-school, I got little windows to paint when I was able to let go of the guilt and to-do list and do something for me. This was treasured time. I realized yet again that painting is beneficial, maybe even integral, to my mental health.
I have always, although somewhat reluctantly, shared my paintings with family and friends, usually gifting pieces and occasionally selling some when approached. My time has felt so limited that when I had the alone time, I just wanted to paint, and this (along with some confidence and imposter syndrome issues) kept me from pursuing the business side of art. My incredibly supportive and generous husband Kyle built me this website and encouraged me to share my paintings with the world. He also learned how to photograph and edit my originals so that I can have high quality and affordable print options. This website contains a complete gallery of my creations, as well as a variety of prints including paper, canvas, and metal prints . If you happen upon something that you love which does not appear available as a print, please reach out and we should be able to get you the size and type of print that you’d like!
I hope my playgrounds brighten and add a bit of color to your day! Thank you for viewing!