BIOGRAPHY

My identity as an artist has always been influenced by my upbringing in Hawaii. My family moved to North Shore Maui when I was 5. I attended public school and spent my formative years literally and creatively exploring on the slopes of Haleakala. This not only gave me deep love and appreciation for this special place but also a very unique cultural identity. Surrounded by stunning beauty made inspiration come easy and making art was a quiet sanctuary from the woes of teen angst for an introverted social outcast. 

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In 1999 I left Maui to attend California College of the Arts where I earned my Bachelor's of Fine Art in Illustration. While in college I supplemented many of my course requirements with printmaking classes and fell in love with the press. For the past 20 years I have mainly worked as a commission portrait artist while participating in a few group shows and also volunteering at local schools. Doing portraiture has taught me that connecting with people and helping them tell their stories can be such a joyful and rich human experience in a world that constantly magnifies our differences. Teaching kids has reminded me to be playful with my own art and take risks, and that failure is often the best teacher.