In an ever-chaotic world, I find sanity from the practice of pen and ink illustration. For me, art is therapy—and the most exhilarating form of therapy a human can experience. The sound the pen makes as it dances across the paper, the precision factored into each hand stroke, the contrast which occurs between the black ink and white paper, and of course the final image hatched from the entirety of the process.

My creative soul blossomed due to the dedication and compassion of my mother, Grace Schoessow, an exceptional artist in the majority of mediums. Since birth I have had my hands in paint and participated in countless crafts thanks to her enthusiasm of the arts. A lively forest surrounded my childhood home in Sidney, Ohio. During my adolescent age I spent my pass time primarily outdoors while drawing, painting, and crafting; influencing natural world illustrations. My days were spent outdoors with my siblings in the woods adventuring, rescuing/rehabilitating wild orphan/injured animals and building forts.

I began intertwining realistic/natural world elements with dream-world concepts. This allowed me to create a theory, a world of my own, a place in which my creative perception governs.

My artwork mimicked my growth throughout time. I developed a fascination with detail; every mark has a meaning behind it. I take pleasure in the wholesome contrast of using solely black ink on a white canvas. This concept allows the audience to take my design and enter their own world through the image—as a portal—using their own color palette within the imagination to dive deeper. I provide a considerate amount of white space around my detailed images for the eye to rest and rejuvenate. The tedious detail is not intended to devastate the mind, but rather silence while immersing into an alternative mental state. The intricate detail requires spectators to physically gravitate closer to the work. Each piece of work within my portfolio holds meaningful hours of mental and emotional self-therapy.