I am an island girl, born in Puerto Rico. Growing up I lived on both the island and the front range of the Rocky Mountains. The essences of both water and mountains are in my blood. The smell of the ocean air as I walk onto a beach relaxes me, the sound of the ocean nudges me to my Creator, the sight of a mountain range excites me and the thought of a family member walking into the woods and never returning terrifies me. The constants in my life have been artists, musicians, faith, love, and travel. I married a musician and together we raised our daughter, an artist and a musician in her own right. All of these things have helped shape the way I see things today.

I have always known I am an artist. As I child I would have vivid dreams of easels and paintings strewn throughout my house never really knowing where any of those dreams may lead. I found that

 "I live and love in God’s peculiar light"-Michelangelo Buonarroti.

 In that light, a light that has always guided me in my art journey, I reflect on watching my maternal grandmother, my paternal grandfather and father draw. My grandmother had small sketch books she would draw hands and faces in. Her sketches became more rudimentary as she aged and her hands curled with arthritis. I was intrigued by these realistic but distorted figures. I watched my paternal grandfather draw landscapes and architectural renderings, admiring his dedication to the craft. My father and I would have drawing competitions. He would say “let’s see how fast you can draw a dog/cat/bird” and then we would each draw what he had challenged us to. These three family members quietly influenced my style, dedication, and pursuit of visual art.

I pursued a degree in Interior Design after high school and kept sketching. For a time my sketches were in service of my design career, but God’s peculiar light kept tugging at me. When my daughter entered kindergarten, I was asked if I would teach Art part time for her class. That led to a teaching contract, and I taught elementary and middle school art for the next five years. This all led me to pursue my actual childhood dream of becoming a professional artist. I don’t dream of paintings strewn throughout my house anymore, because now I live in a house strewn with my paintings.

The time I spent teaching art has given me opportunities to partner with local nonprofits through art instruction for special needs individuals and awareness of domestic violence. I’ve recently been approached about partnering with a non-profit in Art Therapy for Human Trafficking.

I have had my art displayed in several galleries, a frame shop, printed in calendars, a museum and a car dealership. Being creative has always run through my veins whether I am designing interiors, teaching art, or partnering with a non-profit in an artistic endeavor, but it is the creative process of painting that I truly enjoy.

I paint because it soothes me and while I am doing it, I am free. I paint because when I paint nothing else matters. I paint because all worry and fear are gone, I paint so that I may truly breathe.