My story is not much different from other artists and creatives. We thrive and rely on art as an outlet of expression, connection, and contentment. We navigate through the highs and lows, the motivation and frustration, the appreciations and dislikes, the perfect strokes and broken brushes. The one thing I encourage us creatives to never do is to forget our love for art and the perspectives it brings to the world.
While I was aware of my artistic abilities from an early age, I didn’t start to paint until adulthood. As a member of the Army Reserve, I was deployed to Afghanistan. Upon my return, I realized my need to curtail the anxiety of feeling lost and being unsure of what the future held. I enrolled myself in an oil painting class as an outlet to navigate these uncertainties, and this was when I discovered my painting abilities.
I continued to make my way through the world working a full-time job, fulfilling my duty in the Army Reserve, and earning my master’s degree. While art was put on hold during this time, art kept on returning to me throughout the years until I decided to dedicate more time on a regular basis. I like to say that art chose me, I did not choose it.
Life’s serpentine strokes rewarded me with enough substance to absorb and create. Incorporating my background and life experiences into my work, I am proud to be able to say that my art is intended to be much deeper than “something pretty to look at” – it’s an experience, it’s a story, and it has a purpose.
Everyone and everything in life is uniquely different, and so, we must give these intricacies the space and respect they deserve. Once we fully and unconditionally accept the differences in ourselves, we can begin to accept the differences in others. Thus, the messages I choose to tell through my work include stories of diversity, unity, love, and harmony.
As we feel more harmonious, we attract more harmony. As we feel more love, we attract more love. This is also the way of “feng shui” and it begins with visualizing and feeling these emotions with art. My hope is that you will be able to feel these emotions and understand the true meaning behind them through your own perspective. In doing so, we collectively can find and bring some colour through the malleable blacks and whites of the world.
