Of course! I’m a mom, a former lawyer, and an abstract artist. I’ve always loved design and art but never thought of it as a professional path for myself and it certainly was not something I had much time for while busy with life with three small children. A few years ago, my oldest son was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. As my husband and I processed our son’s health situation and came to terms with our new normal, we needed a way to cope with the stress. I joined a support group and received advice that changed my life: get a hobby—there needs to be an outlet for the stress, a place to go to give your mind a break from the constant worry about the future. I decided that after years of loving and collecting art, I wanted to take a class about painting. I was most interested in learning the technical skills needed to create beautiful art.  I started taking online classes, one after another, and soon I was down the rabbit hole and it felt so good to spend time working on something that I love so much. Around the same time, we decided to proceed with a stem cell transplant for our son. We are so fortunate that the transplant was successful and despite a harrowing process and difficult recovery, our son is healthy. The gratitude I feel for his recovery is a constant source of inspiration for my work.

My paintings are also inspired by hope for the future and beauty in the world around us. Viewing art can be an opportunity to process emotions and it means the world to me when someone tells me that my paintings give them a feeling of peace or calm. I have been fortunate enough to have my paintings end up in the homes of many wonderful people, and it brings me so much joy that positive energy goes with them.

I expanded my studio space last year and along with having available artwork in the studio and taking custom commission projects from clients, we have a classroom dedicated to Art Club, a collaboration with a phenomenal art teacher and all around wonderful person, Kelly Pack. Kelly holds regular classes for kids of all ages, and we host adult events, corporate retreats, and parties as well. Kelly and I share the belief that it’s vital for children to have a place to go to create, have fun, feel safe and accepted, and be brave. Kelly is brilliant at helping children find their inner artist, and they have a ton of fun along the way.

My work is available through my studio and website, and selected work is also available through Celestial Art Curation in Hinsdale, helmed by the brilliant Christine Gebauer, West End Gallery in LaGrange, IL, owned by talented artist Lizzie Selle, and Vagabond Botanical in LaGrange, IL, a botanical boutique with stunning designs and custom arrangements, owned by the incredible team of Jenna Fowler and Nicole Drai.

I have loved art since I was a child. I could get lost in paintings for hours—the same feeling I get when I start a good book and don’t realize that hours have passed while I have been immersed in the character’s lives. I want to make that feeling accessible to people who haven’t had much exposure to art or who haven’t thought that way about a painting before. While I love having beautiful artwork in my home as decor, it’s more for me about the feelings that a painting can evoke. I want that for everyone. That goes for children as well. My young collectors are my very favorites!