As long as I can remember, I was creative. My barbies always had strange hairdos because I couldn’t resist cutting their hair and I loved playing in the mud. Eventually, I turned to drawing and painting and later got a degree in Fine Art.

Over time, I discovered a love for texture and my focus became finding different ways to create texture. That’s how I first started using recycled materials in my artwork. It began with a fascination with texture but has turned into something more.

Now, instead of seeing recycled materials, something to be thrown away or discarded, I see a world of possibilities.

I love the challenge of taking what most would consider to be trash and turning it into something new and beautiful- something to be cherished.

I’ve found that recycled materials add a rustic, beauty, to my work, that could not be achieved any other way. I also love knowing that these discarded materials won’t end up in a landfill or ocean.

Most of all, I love the story they tell. They serve as a reminder of what God has done for us.

I consider each piece I create to be a visible, tangible reminder of how God takes our past mistakes, our wounds and our broken pieces and transforms them into something that is new and beautiful.

When I’m not creating my own artwork, I enjoy being able to share what I know with the art students that I teach.