I believe we are all on a journey to find our authentic selves. I like to use art as my personal narrative. This began for me when I was a child. My favorite time of day was when I sat by my father at the dining room table drawing. As I got older, this love never faded. As I have grown my art has grown. I am a multidisciplinary. My love of drawing grew into a love of painting. Oil paints were my paint of choice. I enjoyed the challenge of the mediums and buttery texture of the paint. I enjoy acrylics for mixed media work as well. I incorporate many mediums into my mixed media pieces. They usually include gesso, charcoal, acrylic paint, inks, and oil paints. I also enjoy sculpting and wood burning. I don’t have set limits in my art so I’m always experimenting. The images I create can be a combination of things I’ve seen during my life in Illinois, in the woods, or from travels abroad. They can also be inspired from my imagination, places I create in my mind. The overall inspiration can come from joy or from pain. I feel the whole of ourselves, even our broken pieces, are the struggles that become our strengths.