My inspiration comes from my childhood. I grew up on Martha’s Vineyard and worked on a farm for 10 years; these experiences have left an indelible imprint on my mind. Memories of walking under piers, tiptoeing through beach grass, plowing a field, or feeling the wind on a cold beach—these are the memories that flood my mind. Color has always deeply moved me, and I combine this emotional connection with these memories in my art.
The butterfly story:
In 2011, I accidentally cut two of my fingers on my right hand, to the bone, while cleaning off my palette. I needed surgery and spent months in splints. Although I was in physical therapy, I had limited use of my hand because of pain and swelling. During this traumatic time, my deepest fear was that I would never draw again. One day, my family and I were walking past the Bone Room, a shop that sold fossils, bones, and insects. I immediately fell in love with a pinned butterfly and knew that I had to try to draw it. So I did, splints, swelling and all. Thus began this journey of butterfly drawing.