I grew up in a small town, Oshkosh, in the panhandle of Nebraska, along the North Platte river. I remember always having an interest in art. It all probably started with my Dad, being an art teacher, he exposed me early to paper, paint, and clay. I later attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in May 2002. I have been living and working in Lincoln since I graduated. I married my High School sweet-heart in December 2004.

I have a studio in my basement and make art in the evenings and on the weekends. I exhibit in a couple art shows a year, my aunt sells my artwork in her gift shop in Colorado Springs, CO, and I have my things at Hangups Gallery, here in Lincoln, NE. I have participated in the Annual Cathedral Art Show for the last 8 years.

Currently, I have a Shop on Etsy, an internet site that features handmade goods. I have been up and running for about 1 month, and have already made several sales. The site is www.buymywhimsy.etsy.com, Check it out!

In 2008, I participated in the aCross Lincoln community art project, sponsored by the First Plymouth Church. I created a glass cross that measured 4 ft tall and 2 ft wide, Titled, “Heaven,“ that was auctioned off to benefit several Lincoln non-profit companies.

I licensed my artwork to a company called Encore, for about 2 years. It was produced by Encore and sold through retailers world wide. My line is called “Bright Expressions,” and made it’s debut in their catalog June 2007.

In December 2006, I and the star ornaments I create, were featured in “That’s Clever”, a show on HGTV. The show features artist and their clever projects.

In fall 2005, I was selected to participate in a city art project to benefit the YWCA of Lincoln. The theme was stars, so I built a 3 foot version of my star ornaments, using thick acrylic, copper tubing, and ceramic beads. The sculpture, titled, ”I Caught My Wishing Star.,” was auctioned off, and now resided in someone’s living room.

I am inspired by make-believe, fantasy, and fairy tales. Bright colors, whimsical patterns, and detailed textures, adorn most of my creations. Being read Dr. Seuss books when I was young, the crazy imagination in the illustrations, have also crept their way into my artwork. In college, I studied clay, and the vessels I make have whimsical personalities that seem to have a story within, that is unique and personal to each viewer. Although, after college, I didn’t have a place for a kiln, so working in clay was a bit of a challenge. I started working with glass after I saw the scratched glass at work being thrown in the dumpster. I thought there had to be something I could do with the glass, and the star was born. The cross designs came later, after playing with colored glass. The added color in the cross designs, along with the mixed media, like tissue paper, copper wire, and glass beads, makes them very fun to create. The added dimension of light, and how it affects the glass designs, is also very intriguing to me.

Artist Highlights

• ArtWanted.com Gallery:    Art/Drawing Misc.