Emotions: Do you see me? Painting

I am an Orlando, Florida, USA, based artist. My love for art started when I was in the Army. At this particular time in my life, I was diagnosed with a mental illness. While in an art therapy session, I was asked to make a collage out of magazine cut outs. The therapist who was an artist saw potential and gave me an art pad and some acrylic paints. Art saved my life! It was cathartic for me. In 2012, I decided to get my Bachelor in Fine Arts. My passion for art became stronger. Through my education, I gained skills in painting, photography, and graphic design. Today, I incorporate other forms of art such as photography and graphic design to create sketches for my paintings. Although, my passion for the physical aspect of painting and putting paint to canvas is my number one love, I love photography, graphic design and illustration. Another one of my passions is traveling. I love to meet new people, learn about their culture, language, etc... Many of those I come in contact with become my subjects for illustrations and paintings.