As a young girl growing up in Las Vegas I had a lot of different interests but began to realize that when I would draw or paint it made me feel alive more than anything else! I realized I had a true passion for making art. I absolutely loved having the freedom to use my imagination and emotions to create something out of nothing and to have the freedom to express myself however I wished. I loved that there were no rules and to me it was a form of communication I felt much more comfortable with than simply speaking.
The Beginning Days:
- I knew I had a passion for art and wanted to pursue it further so I excitedly auditioned for a public arts high school and was accepted to the Las Vegas Academy as a fine art major and was able to learn a lot of the basic techniques and grow in my talent. During this time my style began to emerge. One of the key things for me was to take a sketch book everywhere I went and I would draw whatever came to mind. It helped me get feedback and find my artistic voice. I also loved sitting for hours in the 'art section' at bookstores and libraries just soaking in the work of my favorite artists starting with Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Keith Haring, and Marc Chagall.
- By the time I was 17 I had made up my mind that I was going to be a full-time artist. I had a big dream and a clear vision of who I would become one day. I believe God planted this vision in my heart and I have never lost sight of it. All I can say is it was WAY bigger than me but I believed it was possible with God. I had no clue how it would all come together but I began to step out in faith and got started RIGHT AWAY!
- With the help of my mom I bravely but nervously made an appointment to show my work to a local gallery called Art Encounter when I was a Jr. in high school. My portfolio was made of two yellow poster boards that were stapled together with my various works tucked inside. Luckily they decided to take a chance on my work even though they had nothing like it in their gallery. I was THRILLED to say the least!
- Within the first week my work began to sell and continued to sell more and more. I was working hard to keep up with schoolwork and create new art for the gallery. To me this confirmed that I was made to do this and I was on the right path. I made up my mind that I would not go to college but instead open up my own art studio and pour myself into being an artist. This went against what everyone thought I should do. I was told I should get some type of degree and have a backup plan but I was determined to listen to what was in my heart. If I wasn't going to go to college it also meant that I was cut off financially from my parents at 18 so I HAD to make this work.
- I got the keys to my own art studio just before graduating high school with the money I was earning from the art sales and devoted myself to creating art. My work continued to sell well and I became the gallery's best-seller that first year with about 125 paintings sold! The owner of the gallery, Rod Maly, took notice and became my exclusive agent and began to market me and my work all over the country, especially in my hometown of Las Vegas. There was a lot of great press and things were moving quickly in the right direction! I was one happy hard-working young artist!
