About
BFA 2008; Post Baccalaureate Graduate 2009
Born and raised in Maine. A graduate of Maine College of Art & Design, class of 2008 with a BFA in Art History and Curatorial Studies with a studio focus in sculpture. In 2009 I received my K-12 Art Education Certification. Youth Development is where I spent the majority of my working life. I spent over a decade working for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine as a Program Director and Art educator. The clubhouse is my first career home. Currently I am the Extended Learning Opportunities Coordinator at Deering High School where I had the privilege to watch my club kids graduate high school and move on to greener pastures. I am honored to be a part of their families, their history and their stories. Having value in my work and giving back to our youth is very important to me.
I am a mother of two beautiful babies. Motherhood is what I was built for. They are my daily reminders of how lucky I am and what I have accomplished. I am also blessed with the love of my life and my husband Pat. Please consider this a love letter to remind him how much I appreciate what you've built with me.
I dedicate this work to my late dad, it was his dream to see me receive my MA, so I move forward with the intention to make my dad proud. This one’s for you papa.
Gallery
Artist Statement
Motherhood has blessed me with an innate, soft, and nurturing, new approach to my art work. It’s important for me to focus on making art that is intentional and manageable. My art process has been therapeutic to me, providing me space and time that I can focus on drawing things that make me happy. I prefer to use materials and imagery that conveys a sense of softness, fragility, beauty and strength. The images I choose are nature based. Nurture versus nature; a duality I experience as both an educator and as a mother. I want to honor my children, my family, my partner, the value of my work and my community by including them in the work that I make. It’s because of their influence on me that I can create things that make me feel fortunate. Being a full time mother, educator, partner, artist and community member, I’ve come to embrace a new sense of artist-self and the creative journey I am on. I am now more comfortable making it work with what I have. I look forward to new moments that bring joy into my busy life.
My final works titled Nature vs Nurture
Gouache
Watercolor paper
Ink pens
Nature is based on my experience in motherhood. The roaring bear symbolizes myself; a protector, a powerful force and a mother. The daisy crown is a symbol of my birth flower, also a symbol of self empowerment. The flowers surrounding the bear symbolize the birth flowers of all the people I love and protect.
Nurture is my experience as an educator. The lighthouse, the beacon of light symbolizes my nurturing, leadership and teacher qualities. The lighthouse is a solid structure placed on a rocky coast as a safety signal for those lost at sea. The paper boats floating among the sea are my students. Each boat is folded, manipulated and neatly fabricated into a floating, stable structure. Yet they are all folded differently and have no instruments for them to map. No matter where they travel on their journeys, the lighthouse helps guide them along their way. It creates safety. Making sure they have the right guidance and light to make it safely home ashore.