Portraits

People are my favorite subject to draw. As such, my family and friends have grown accustomed to posing for me for hours or receiving portraits of themselves as birthday gifts. I drew this portrait of my father for Christmas last year, from a photo of him when he was 25-- my age!                   

I'm also a fan of drawing the fashion models in Vogue. No one in real life looks this perfect. 


A portrait of my sister, Tess, that I created from a photograph I took when she was 17. She never liked pictures of herself and would not be very happy with me for drawing her so much. 

A more "abstract" portrait of my good friend in college, who patiently sat for me until 4 a.m on a school night (which I admit is pretty early for college students). 

Paintings

On a fall morning in 2005 I understood the power art has to heal us when we are broken and to guide us back to ourselves when have lost our way. My sister, only 18 years old, died in a tragic car accident and I felt as though a significant piece of me had been ripped away, never to be whole again. For months my grief was an obstacle to my artwork. And it wasn’t until I was able to let it back into my life that I really began to heal.

I began painting and drawing again shortly after Tess' death. Most of my work was inspired by her--either by the feelings I was dealing with or the desire to remember her smile, eyes and spirit. With each stroke of the brush or snap of the camera shutter, I was able to express debilitating sadness and anger over my sister’s absence in a way that brought healing, not only to me, but my family as well.