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How did your career as a fine artist begin?
It’s hard to define where my art career started because I was figuring it out for many years before I really felt like I had something. But what comes to mind is two shows I did early on after graduating from college. One was at a Think Coffee and the other was at a small gallery in Baltimore near where I grew up. I was focusing on photography at the time (and slowly incorporating embroidery, which eventually took over).
The guest list and few sales all came from my (very supportive!) friends and family. But early gallery and coffee shop shows like these helped boost my confidence with showing art. From there I learned as I went and started building relationships with art consultants, interior designers and galleries and slowly growing my online following.
Tell us about your series of colorful, minimalist abstract paintings! What informs your color palettes?
Color is one of my favorite things in the world! I’ve always been fascinated by it and obsessed with bright colors. When I was a kid I often had this weird thought about how you never really see one color all at once with nothing else around it. Then when I started studying art and seeing more of it in person I would fixate on small dashes of color and visualize how it would look if just that color filled the whole canvas (like one little dot of pink in a landscape blown up).
When I began working in this style a few years ago I was thinking about creating that effect, but I knew I wanted something in the composition that would rein in your eye and keep redirecting it back to the center. So the embroidery, which started just as a border in my early pieces, becomes something that leads you back into the painting, giving our busy eyes and minds a moment of relative stillness.
My color palettes come from lots of places, from the natural to the digital. I keep Pinterest boards of different colors that inspire me, including my own photos I take in nature or just daily life (like books covers or food packaging), photos I find online (I love tropical fish in crazy colors or graphic design elements), or even people’s outfits I see on the street. I also play with physical swatches of paint, colored pencils and markers to feel out different combinations. It’s usually the unexpected pairings that get me really excited.
What’s your favorite part about the New York creative community?
Coming back to New York after a decade in LA, one thing I love here in general is that the neighborhoods and styles and people’s interests feel a bit more dynamic and overlapped. In LA it’s so spread out that it’s easy to get stuck in little bubbles, but here the neighborhoods and the people all run into each other and it feels more connected. High-end galleries and street art and musicians playing in parks and open art studios are all overlapping in a way. So I like that I can be part of different creative worlds at once.
It's so amazing that you've had your work featured by big brands like Anthropologie, Chairish and Parachute Home. How important is working with large retailers/brands in expanding your audience?
It’s funny, when I was starting out and had no idea how to find people to share my art with, I always had this thought that if I could just get this one big brand or one famous person to feature me I’d be set forever. But what I’ve learned is that those features are great boosts and they can bring tons of new eyes to my work, but building a slow and steady audience through a variety of outlets is even more valuable.
That said, in terms of confidence boosters and propelling me to move forward (which I think creatives need a lot of!) brand relationships and press features can be really uplifting. Each time I get an opportunity to share my art on a bigger scale it makes me feel like I’m on the right track and I’m resonating with more of my aligned people.
Do you have a favorite artist you look to for inspiration?
It’s a mix. My art history answer is Helen Frankenthaler and also Sol LeWitt, but I always say my subconscious mind is basically made of Lisa Frank, Nickelodeon and Barbies.
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