MY STORY

“WHATEVER YOU CHOSE TO DO, LEAVE TRACKS”

RUTH BADER GINSBURG

My Story

I've been painting for as long as I can remember.

At seven years old, I discovered that a blank surface could become a place where imagination, memory, and emotion all lived together. That fascination has never left me. Although life led me through many paths, including theater, acting, interior design, and home staging, painting has always been the thread connecting every chapter.

Growing up meant constantly moving from place to place. From Buffalo to Hawaii, Connecticut, Texas, Oklahoma, Las Vegas, and eventually Chicago, I learned that every new landscape carries echoes of the ones before it. That sense of familiarity within the unfamiliar continues to shape my work. I'm drawn to moments that feel just beyond explanation, where memory, intuition, and imagination overlap.

I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater and Scenic Art from the University of Texas at Arlington. While studying performance, I discovered scenic painting and realized that storytelling didn't have to happen on a stage. It could unfold through color, light, texture, and atmosphere. Today, those theatrical influences remain at the heart of my paintings, inviting viewers to step into a moment rather than simply observe it.

In 2015, while undergoing treatment for breast cancer, I found my way back to painting with renewed purpose. It felt less like beginning again and more like returning home. Since then, the studio has become the place where I make sense of the world, one layer at a time.

People often ask why I paint women. The answer is simple: I don't paint portraits. Women are my language. Through them, I explore memory, resilience, transformation, hope, and the hidden stories that shape us all. Every layer of paint, every fragment of text, and every luminous surface becomes part of a larger conversation about what endures beneath the visible.

I work intuitively, allowing each painting to reveal itself over time through acrylic, mixed media, texture, handwritten fragments, and luminous glazes. Some elements are intentionally concealed while others emerge slowly, changing with the light and rewarding those who spend time looking. Like our own lives, the most meaningful stories are often found beneath the surface.

Today I live and work in the Chicago area with my husband, Todd, our two pugs, Gossamer and Mabel, and our cat, Midnight. Whether I'm in the studio or walking along the lakefront with my camera, I'm always searching for the quiet moments that remind us to look a little closer.

Because every painting holds more than it first reveals.