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
RUSTON