About the Artist

My entire body of work is a direct reflection of my experiences and point of view. I paint expressionism, impressionism, and surrealism–though my work doesn't fit in just one category. Each painting is a look into what I was experiencing or reflecting on in my own life at that moment. I rarely paint strangers, I need to feel a connection to my subject matter–not for thematic reasons, but because that’s when I produce my best work. When I first began deepening my relationship with painting, I found myself rendering images of my sister, Malieta. She is two years younger than me and we are very close. We have the same mannerisms and are mistaken for twins; we can have conversations with just our eyes, but personality-wise–we’re incredibly different. I was gifted my first set of paints during 2021, a very weird time for everything. My sister struggled with her self-image and wouldn’t let people take pictures of her. She always encouraged any art I attempted before I felt like showing anyone. I began painting her to force her to see her beauty. As someone who has a deep love of art and art history and dreams of being a curator, my sister was the perfect person to lift me up and push me to pursue painting. 

Today, she is still my main inspiration for different reasons, she doesn’t need my convincing anymore, but remains the face of my body of work. She is the person that understands me inside and out, and sees my potential. Painting her gives me power, it creates my best work because it's the most authentic thing I could do. The majority of my paintings are large and rendered with bright colors that jump out at you and catch your attention. I'm mostly interested in creating work that makes me happy, I’m obsessed with translating my favorite emotions onto the canvas. I enjoy writing but can't express myself with words like I can with my paint brush. I started painting seriously in 2024, the majority of my pieces reflecting my sister or other figures around my age. The focus was on the emotions and experiences of being a young woman and coming-of-age. I’ve also always been compelled by the role of illumination and the drastic and magical contrast it can create. Since then, I’ve started to focus on painting children, specifically scenes from my childhood, as well as surreal portraits with inverted colors. I’m not exactly sure yet what moved me to this change or what's next. This feels like it's been such a long journey but I’ve only been creating in this way for about two and a half years. I look forward to what's next, and will trust my instincts.