I started painting at sixteen. I walked into the art studio of my high school, approached the teacher and asked if she’d teach me. She said yes, told me to go buy canvas from our local, indie bookstore and come back . The next day I returned. She pointed me to the slop sink, showed me where the brushes and paints were, and left the room. I don’t think I saw her again for the rest of the day.

I learned to paint because I wanted to get emotions out of me that were bottled up inside. It wasn’t until I was in my mid thirties that I formally studied any technique. I’m glad I learned this way. Creating on instinct is the most authentic and rewarding way to make art.

When I was young I was obsessed with symbolism, absurdism and the surrealists. Salvador Dalí and Samuel Beckett were my artistic gods. Later I became enamored by joie de vivre, Rococo, Art Nouveau, Chinoiserie and 17th century Dutch Art. I’ve been an ice dancer, trained the Brazilian art of Capoeira, traveled to the Amazon and jumped off cliffs in the Costa Rican jungle. Inspiration comes from everywhere.