"Wheels on the Bus (Into the Sun)" Collage

Artist Statement The basis of my work is spirituality with emphasis on the light. When I create, I focus on my inner voice, not the world outside of me. This is where I find my creativity and inspiration. Biography It wasn’t until Covid lockdown that I discovered I was an artist. My first piece, “Wheels on the Bus” was a mandala made out of rice and corn millet. The time and patience it took to place each grain helped me get through that difficult time. In the summer of 2021, I traveled to France to be inspired like so many artists before me. I took a one week class in Semur-en-Auxois to decide if I needed to go to art school. While in Semur, I substantially completed, “Resurrection.” With the realization of this piece, I decided I didn’t need the formal training of art school. I had taught myself through this piece to get past my ego and listen to my heart. It was also at this time that I started painting the pictures for my book, Willamena the Woo Must Find Boo! This book focused on what I learned so far since awakening as an artist, that the light shines within us. The day before I was to leave Paris to go back to the States, I received an invitation to be an Artist-in-Residence at Chateau Orquevaux in Orquevaux, France. It was a handful of months away, so I spent that in between time, traveling and absorbing as much as I could of the Southwest. I was born in upstate New York. My father was Boston Irish and my mother is a Korean immigrant. Because of my mixed race background, I don’t feel an attachment to either side of my heritage. So I created Willamena the Woo as a child would look like on the inside. I presented my finished book at Orquevaux. It is now published through Amazon.