I am a mixed media artist located in Ruston, Louisiana. A quaint little artist community in the piney hills of North Louisiana. The local university, Louisiana Tech, has had one of the strongest art departments in the south for many years, fostering a community that posses an unmatched enthusiasm for the visual arts for many generations. I am blessed to say, I Am A RUSTON ARTIST~ thank you Ruston!
I work in multiple mediums and on various surfaces. I currently have two lines of work that are dear to my heart. "Compositions From Above" that speaks on community and connection and "In Between The Light & Me," an abstract landscape series. Please see the full description for each series on their page.
My formal training is as a artist and as an educator with a BFA degree in painting and drawing with an emphasis in printmaking. I additionally hold a MED in art education. My collegiate career consisted of multiple majors and multiple universities. I began as a journalism major due to my father’s strong writing influence in my life. A few years in, I switched my major to studio art after returning home from a trip to Europe. I am blessed to say I did have the privilege of beginning my first quarter of my art degree at Louisiana Tech as well as finishing my last year here. These classes at Louisiana Tech were by far my most formative years as a young artist. I had the privilege of studying under Tech’s greats, Peter Jones, Ed Pinkston & Charlie Meeds. The knowledge these teachers passed on to me is still the foundation of my daily studio life. I will be forever grateful for their influence. The middle years of my BFA were from the former South West Texas University in San Marcos and Austin Community College. In these years, I gained cultural influence and knowledge from various Austin artists and professors. In between my undergraduate and graduate degree I spent over a decade and a half traveling and living out west in Colorado,Montana and California.
My personal educational highlights are having had the opportunities to study in Rome, receive a work study scholarship at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and recently painting under the fabulous Catherine Kehoe in Nashville.
Today, I am inspired by the nine other mixed media artists at Fringe, a local artist co-op in which I am a member. Our weekly meetings ( and mostly educational) inspire me to continue searching, looking and challenging myself.
I work closely with gallery owners, collectors and designers to create custom works of art. My work has been included in major design projects throughout the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Colorado, California and Washington. My work is also currently included in collections within the United Kingdom. I continue to thrive on experimentation and ask myself, “What if...”
A Little About Me...
Bayou Life Feature
Questions & Answers
Describe your art in three words.
Dialogue, Response & Play
Describe yourself in one word.
Optimistic
What do you love the most about creating art in your community? What particular part of your immediate environment, in your neighborhood specifically influences your work?
Although I am not from New Orleans, I love the city very much and have always been inspired by its energy. Its one of love and one that can not be found anywhere else on earth. Like all of us, I love the people, the smiles, the smells and the sounds.
Describe your creative process. Are there any rituals or rites of passage you exercise before you begin a new piece?Cleaning my studio and organizing my supplies before transitioning to a new series or piece always seems to center me and help grasp where it is I want to go next.
Where do you draw inspiration?
From this big beautiful world & its gifts
Who are your artistic influences or gurus?
The list is long and hard to choose. I love the classics as well as our modern day art scene. Here are my top favorites that make my heart pitter patter and why:
Johannes Vermeer - his understanding of value & light, of coarse, "Girl With A Pearl Earing"
Paul Gaughin - color baby!
Richard Diebenkorn - composition, color simplification of form
Euan Uglow - particularly his still-lifes... value shapes, simplification & color
—and oh my MORANDI! How can you resist the subtle delicate palette with his simplified shapes? It all just feels calm, balanced and right with the world.
I am inspired by many teachers and fellow artists in my life. Like many Ruston artists and Louisiana Tech graduates, Ed Pinkston made a hug impact on me as an artist. He taught me how to see. Not sure who he is? Look him up! I think you will find his work curious + intuitive . He is currently living and working in Baton Rouge.
Right before COVID, I had the privilege of painting with Catherine Kehoe in Nashville for a week and it was such a rewarding experience. Not sure of her work? Look her up. Beautiful use of color...
And continually by my biggest critic, and the one that pushes me to work harder than my self, my mother & fellow artists Patricia Tait Jones. She is all about taking risks in her work and I admire her so much for it. Not sure who she is? Look her up! One of my favorites, "Mamas Got the Bop" ;)
I am also a member of Fringe Creative Experience. A local gallery artist co-op type of thing with twelve other women artists. We all vary in mediums and discipline but inspire each other to challenge ourselves and show up. These women are a huge influence in my life and I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing group.
In our cities, art and music go hand in hand. What type of music, band or song lyric best describes your work?
The tempo of my work frequently shifts and changes with my environment, the day and whats happening around me. So it would be hard to pick one type of music. Sometimes I am in a Nina Simone, Towns VanZandt, Wilco, JJ Cale or Jerry Garcia mood. Others I'm ready to get up my move on and have Dirty Dozen, The Meters, Radiators, Greyboy Allstars, Mofro, Karl Denson, Galactic, Spearhead or the Zydeco Cha Chas helping me shake it up! I can almost always tell you what I was listening to when I created a certain part of a piece. Sometimes little hints in the title itself. I love music so much and it heavily influences my work as it is my friend day in and day out. My favorite instrument? Horns!
Where can we find you when you are not creating art?
Hopefully on the water! I love water of all kinds, but the oceans and the rivers have my soul. I love the mystery of where its been and where it is going, the constant energy. I am also very content on my paddle board on a lake attending what my dear friend calls our "board meetings". Haven't had nearly enough of these this summer....
I am blessed with a big beautiful family and lots of family time. Ben Boudreaux, 14, and Lyla Joy Boudreaux, 12, keep my husband and I busy and on our toes. Ben loves to play basketball and Lyla is going to be the world's next "animal rescuer and artist." We love our two fur babies, Tootie Marie & Obie Jones, they are a big part of our lives and bring so much joy.
What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?
I think like most of us in Louisiana, Spring + Fall! But truly summers do have my heart—after all I'm a water girl. The trick is is to just stay close to it.
What is something people don’t know about you?
A fun fact. I am an early bird! I love watching and hearing the day unfold and come alive.
