The figure has always been the primary subject of my art. Since childhood, I have tried to represent the faces and gestures in photos and in life. As I developed my skills, I predominantly worked in pen and ink. I earned a minor in studio art from the University of Pittsburgh and continued my study of the figure in studio sessions at the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco and Hipbone Studios in Portland.

Influenced by the collages of Romare Bearden and the early cut-paper animation style of the cartoon South Park, I began experimenting with collage as an exercise to loosen up my drawing style. I immediately found cutting and arranging shapes to create figures very interesting. When layered and aligned, an image comes together from individually indiscernible scraps of paper. The result was so satisfying that I have been focusing on figurative collage for a few years. My love of jazz and New Orleans makes musicians the perfect subject.

When I am not creating art, I am working as a web designer and being a mom. I am the owner of Aquis Consulting, a web and graphic design company for small businesses. I live in Portland, Oregon with my sexy husband Shane and two children, Catherine and Quintin.