I love to paint, I love to draw, and I’m obsessed with color. I have the most charming and supportive husband who LOVES it when I paint, and two crazy, smart, happy, creative children to keep me on my toes and drive my work. Painting renews me and I feel more fulfilled and satisfied with my life, my family and my work than ever before. Have a question for me? Send me a note below!
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**photos taken by Justin Hackworth
BIO
I’ve studied oil painting and classical drawing for almost a decade now under some great Utah Artists, as well as the portrait master Burton Silverman in NYC, and I earned a BFA Degree from Brigham Young University. I know that each of my mentors have been placed in my path at the right time to teach me what I was ready to learn and I will always be grateful to EACH of them for preparing me for the next challenge, the next teacher, and taking me to the next level in my work.
My high school art teacher, Mele Peltz, proved to me that I could do it and encouraged me to try new things, which began my love for drawing and painting. She also introduced me to charcoal as a drawing medium and oil painting, which are my two favorite mediums to this day. At BYU, I had the privilege of learning to see detail and draw well from both Wulf Barsch and Ryan S. Brown. Learning to balance art and the life of being a mom from Jacqui Larson. Learning to tell a story from Bethanne Anderson and Brad Holland. Learning to paint a portrait from both Robert Barrett and Don Seegmiller. And one of my favorites, learning to LOVE what you do and practice, practice, practice to do it well from Robert Marshall & Richard Hull. Bob Marshall also taught me how to truly see color.
As a senior at BYU, I apprenticed with William Whitaker, one of Utah’s premier portrait painters, and everyday I drew and painted, perfecting my skills and learning to see. For the first time, I internalized all previous training and became more controlled in my work. My time spent working with Bill moved me further toward my goals as an artist in a shorter period of time than any other training I've had and I cherish the time he took to critique, teach, guide, train, and inspire me daily.
From there, I went on to intern with Burton Silverman, arguably one of the top living painters in the United States. I love his work, and I try to implement all that he taught me in each painting I do. My internship with Burt was the icing on the cake, taking my work to the next level since I had previously put in the daily work to understand the craft. I participated in a week long workshop at his summer home in upstate New York and I gained invaluable experience working with other artists, painting and drawing from live models. In addition to further developing my skills, I had the opportunity to learn the business side of being an artist and that knowledge gained has directed my business decisions today. Burt Silverman played a key role in inspiring me early on in my student career at BYU and continues to inspire me to this day. Working with him in both of his New York studios was priceless and has changed me as an artist forever.
