"White Oleander" Drawing

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I graduated from Yale University, lived in New York City and currently reside in San Francisco, California, where I am able to gain inspiration from fellow artists and people. I've been painting throughout my life - classically trained since childhood and furthering my art skills throughout college. My paintings, primarily involving children, capture moments in time - from a baby resting to a child caught staring. Through charcoal and pastel, I can put a new spin on what was once black and white and bring it to life with vibrant colors. Painting is meant to educate and express the human feelings we all have. I attempt to bring deeper meaning to my pieces by including torn pages from books and handwritten poetry - helping the viewer to remember a certain time period and/or memory, as well as bringing depth, texture and design to each image. By painting on book pages or from the poetry prose, I hope that people are reminded of the fragility of life and their luck in just existing. There is beauty in even the mundane things we all do; regardless of race or religion, we are all the same.