Q: It is really interesting that you use embroidery in your pieces. What inspired you to incorporate that in your paintings?

A: Even though my major was painting at Memphis College of Art, I took as many surface design classes as possible—dying fabrics, embroidery, fiber art, etc. I have always loved the tactility of fiber art and the textural quality it can add to painting. I don’t consider myself a fiber artist, but I see the embroidery as a drawing tool for my paintings, similar to charcoal or pencils.

Q: Do you have some new pieces that you are currently working on and excited about?

A: Yes, I have been working on a series of minis and also a series of works with embroidery and mixed media on mylar that will be framed. I love working on 5-10 pieces at a time and challenging myself with drastically changing the size or materials. This year I have been incredibly busy with large scale commissions custom made for clients which I have really enjoyed, so the last few months I have been more intentionally working on new pieces of my own.

Q: What inspires you to make new pieces?

A: All of my paintings come from leaves, so I have endless inspiration. In nature, colors and textures thrive or subdue during their life cycle, and my inspiration derives from the transitions that happen during this process. Leaves have subtle discolorations and flaws that create fascinating organic forms in contrast against rigid lines from disintegration or broken edges held together by a delicate framework of veins. I am most interested in this display of growth and decay because of how intimately it speaks of change.

Q: What is your creative process like? Do you typically sketch and plan out ideas or do you just jump right in when you feel the creative urge?

A: I am quite intentional with my work, sometimes I wish I was more spontaneous but I suppose we are all different. I sketch the lines and shapes of the leaves I pick up, I play with a color palette near the sketch in my sketchbook, where I also paste the leaf so I can find it to reference. I let the painting take over as the layers build but return to the leaf when I feel I need a nudge of an idea.

Q: What are you most excited about with working with the Atlanta Artist Collective?

A: I am very excited to connect with the other artists and to have a creative community. I thrive on deadlines and love to make new work and work with clients. I feel so honored to have been chosen as one of the artists for the Atlanta Artist Collective, and opportunity means a new season in life, and that is one of my favorite things—capturing the beauty of transitions and what forms from it, just like the leaves I create to make pieces like Growing, Invigorate, and Swelling.

Photo credit: Katie Snyder Photography