Biography

My roots are both rural and urban. I was born on a farm in Georgia, delivered by my great-grandmother, the county midwife and matriarch of the family. She was my guardian from birth until her passing at 92, when I was 11 years old; then I joined my mother in the inner city of Miami, Florida. My work reflects these two juxtaposing worldviews, and is antecedent to the multiple layers, meanings and ambiguity of my art.

After graduating from high school I joined the United States Marines Corps in order to escape the inner city. After I returned from a tour of duty, I enrolled in the local community college where I received an Associate of Arts degree. I then transferred to the University of Miami where I received my BFA with a major in painting and a minor in printmaking. I received my MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, where I concentrated on painting and drawing.

After completion of my MFA, I moved to New York City. I thrive on city life, and it allowed me the opportunity to grow in unfathomable ways. Sometimes it feels like it feeds on me—I’ve worked as a bartender in multiple restaurants and managed innumerable social events. I’ve been an actor in film and on the stage, and a print model for a myriad of commercial products and services. Through it all, my art has been my touchstone and I’m grateful that I’m now able to devote all of my energies to painting full-time. It’s where I’m able to explore and experiment, allowing me the freedom to visually document the existential nature of my being. For me, the psychological journey is the heart of my message as I honor the universal source of creativity—femininity.