Artist's Statement/Bio

My work is inspired by life. That may sound cliché but it is true. Everything from the floral pieces to the portraits, are a result of a life lived and witnessed by me, in some way. Each piece finds its way into a drawing most often because of something that has moved me.

Everything and everyone has a story, usually several stories 

and my goal is to tell that story visually. 

The tools I use for creating are either graphite combined with charcoal, colored pencil, markers, watercolor markers, indian ink or some combination of these. My work would be categorized as photorealism meaning a visual representation like that of a photograph, in a non-photographic medium such as pencils. My pen and marker pieces are usually a much freer and looser representation of this definition. Whatever medium I’m working in, the goal never changes BUT if I can get the viewer to find their own story within the art of mine or my subject’s, THAT brings a special kind of joy to us both.

I have tattooed on my wrist the Greek word meraki; its definition is to “do something with soul, creativity and, or love; to leave something of yourself in your work”. 

 It is there to remind me every time I draw that if I cannot create by those aspects and principles I should step away until I can.

I am a life-long resident of Springfield, Illinoisand though I have been practicing art since the age of 13 my interest in art began very early in life, when a kindergarten teacher would chastise me for not being able to color inside the lines!  My motto, to this day is “color outside the lines!”

"The Drawing Room", a small studio in my home, is where all of my creations are put to paper, however, where they begin could be absolutely anywhere (daydreaming, the park, a particular song, sentence, LIFE) , I believe there is so much in our daily living that just screams “put me to paper!” and so I do.

 I began by using graphite, added charcoal to that and have grown to use colored pencil, markers and pen. My current fascination is mixing the colored pencil with the graphite and charcoal to achieve color contrast, and I think it tells a great story.  I’ve recently added markers to my colored pencil pieces to mix not only media but photorealism with abstract color schemes, which lends itself to great vibrant colors.

I am a member of the Springfield Artist Collective, as well as the Colored Pencil Society of America, and I also teach Beginner’s Drawing at Lincoln Land Community College’s Community Education.

Accomplishments:

Winner of Best of Show twice in the Chatham Area Public Library Annual Winter Art Exhibit, Chatham, Illinois (When I Think on His Goodness, The Angels and the Monarch)

Library Foundation Award, (Peace and Praise) Chatham Area Library

Library Board of Trustees Award (Destiny Discovered) Chatham Area Library

Published in Ann Kullberg’s Colored Pencil books and online magazines: 

Colored Pencil Cats and Dogs, 

Hidden Treasures Vol 4 & 5, 

Reflections in Colored Pencil, 

Color, a colored pencil magazine, Member show 20th Anniversary Celebration

 Illustrator for Travis Finds the Truth by Melissa Morrissey