"There’s a playful awkwardness to my paintings, as if they’re dancing (possibly even tipsy) with two left feet and vertigo. I want viewers to feel that."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a practicing artist and where did you study?
Growing up in Florida and Virginia, I had dreams of becoming a classical concert pianist. I went to a school for the performing arts in junior high and high school. I competed and performed in local and regional piano recitals. I'd spend hours every day hunched over the piano, practicing Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven. I received a scholarship to study Music Performance at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. But after my first semester as a music student, I came to the realization that it was NOT the path for me. I really wanted a change and to pursue something different so I applied to VCU's visual arts program; I was accepted and as a result I lost my music scholarship. Initially my parents weren't too thrilled about that decision!
I received my BFA in Painting at Virginia Commonwealth University (1999) and attended a few artist residencies soon after graduating: Vermont Studio Center (1999), Skowhegan (2000), and The Atlantic Center for the Arts (2002).
I moved to New York in the Fall of 2000. And I have lived and worked in Brooklyn ever since. For the past couple of years, I've been focused entirely on making paintings as well as works on paper.
I'm also currently training for a couple half marathons taking place in the fall; one on Staten Island, the other in Philadelphia.
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View the full interivew at floorrmagazine.com
