How would you describe yourself as an artist?
I create large abstract works. I love to work in large pieces. I like to dance when I create my pieces, and I love a large enough canvas that I feel like it’s a full-body movement.
What has drawn you to abstract art?
I love abstract pieces because you can create a world that doesn’t exist. I love to create a piece that challenges your perception of reality. I like to create really immersive layer pieces that feel very unexpected, showing the viewer something they weren’t anticipating, something that takes them back. I love to watch people go, “Wow!” You can stand there and look right at it for hours.
People stand in a room, look at a piece of art, and emotionally go into a space; it’s almost like a private invitation to a room that no one else can go to. You look at that painting and you understand that everyone who looks at it accesses this unique private space, and it’s a sacred, special experience.
You use a lot of bright colors in your work. What inspires those?
I grew up in Oklahoma, then I lived in Los Angeles for about nine years, and then I lived in Mexico, in the tropics, for 10 years. My children were born and raised in Mexico until we moved back to Oklahoma again. We had a house that was right on the beach, and we would go for daily walks on the beach. So, the colors of the flowers, that home, that space where we lived, it stays within me. I want to share that it was such a beautiful time in my life, and I want to share that with people.
What was that like when you first started painting? What drew you to painting, or have you always been interested in art?
I have always considered myself artistic. Both of my sisters went to a four-year college, whereas I said, “I’m going to L.A. I’m going to acting school.” I’m a little more eccentric than the rest of my family, so I’ve always been drawn to the arts.
Two years ago, I went on a date with someone, and I was telling him that I went through a horrible divorce. My ex-husband still lives in Mexico, and I left everything behind. I didn’t know what to do with my life and was thinking, “What am I going to do?” I also told my date that I’m creative, and he said, “Come over to my house and let’s do ‘pour art.’” When I went to his house his floor was covered, and we just poured paint and rolled it around on the canvas. Automatically, I was drawn to the way the paint moved and how you could control it to a certain degree. I love controlled chaos. You can control the paint to a certain degree, but ultimately it goes where it wants to go.
What has it been like to sort of launch this art career by yourself?
It’s had its own challenges, right. There are learning curves all along the way, but I would never have been able to do this at any other point in my life.
Also, being able to donate some of my pieces has been so rewarding. I was able to donate a piece to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which raised about $4,000. My cousin, who was basically my best friend my entire life, passed away from cystic fibrosis, so that foundation is very near and dear to my heart. I was also able to donate three pieces to Allied Arts in honor of Quincy Jones, who was my next-door neighbor in Los Angeles. I had so much fun living next to him. His mission in life was to make art accessible to everyone, which aligns with Allied Arts. So, the three pieces I donated were an abstract view of a record player in loving memory of Quincy.
How has it felt to share your art with viewers, buyers and other artists?
It’s such a gift to be able to bring joy to people, to know that a piece goes into someone’s home and whether they’re having a good day or bad day, they can look at that piece of art and feel grounded in the emotion that it brings them. It’s humbling and exciting to be so accepted into this community so quickly.
I remember when I began making art, it took me a while to show my first pieces to someone because it felt like being naked; because it’s all of my emotions on a canvas. But, I’ve been so welcomed in the community, and I’m eternally grateful for that.
This article appears in deadCENTER Film Festival returns.