The world of art has a magnetic energy that I was drawn to from a very young age. I can still remember hours spent drawing with Grandpa, or the first unicorn I drew with Crayola markers at my preschool. 

My artistic skills are for the most part self-taught. I have never been driven to be the best. I am proud of myself when I find my skill has improved, but I like to paint or draw mostly because of what I feel while doing it. I find art very reflective. To me, it is a form of meditation. I feel a profound stillness and peace while I gently and carefully apply my next stroke. I feel the rhythm and harmony of color and shape. I find the pulse of a painting or a drawing, and I move with it. I rely on my intuition. I know when to make lines sharp and provide a frantic quality to a sketch. Or where to subtly contour, what areas to make dark, and the shape of a shadow.  

My relationship to art has prepared me for the future. I value art for the skillset it has provided me and for the tranquility I feel while doing it.