About

I am a visual artist based in Toledo, Ohio, with a practice deeply rooted in material exploration. My mother, an art teacher, nurtured my creativity from an early age, while my father introduced me to pyrography, giving me my first woodburning tools as a child. This sparked a lifelong fascination with heat as a drawing medium, which later evolved into burning designs onto bone and animal skulls.

In 2009, I earned my Bachelor of Art Education and spent 13 years teaching art while developing my artistic practice. In 2017, I pursued an MFA, focusing on material-based research, installation art, and mixed media. That same year marked the start of my experimentation with pyrography on bone. When I graduated in 2020, the pandemic forced me to adapt, cutting off my access to materials and studio space. I simplified my practice, worked on a smaller scale, and reignited my passion for pyrography. In 2023, I left teaching and began pursuing my art full-time.

My pyrography work explores using heat to create form-responsive drawings on animal skulls. The artwork restores a layer of life, resembling a decorative skin, much like branding or tattooing. I ethically source and clean skulls, a process that reflects my deep reverence for nature by honoring both the material and the life it once held. Scavenging, collecting, and experimenting are at the heart of my practice, connecting art with daily life and reflecting my deep passion for materials and the stories they hold.

All of my skulls are carefully selected and ethically sourced. No animals are ever harmed for the purpose of my art.

 

More of My Work

 

Teaching

For over a decade I have worked as an art educator. I have had the unique privilege of providing the first art class experiences for young learners in kindergarten, and supporting those same students all the way through eighth grade. My teaching experiences span into high school and college art as well. To learn more about my professional experience as an art educator and view samples of student work, click the button below.

 

Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • Eastern Michigan University, 2020 Master of Fine Art

  • University of Toledo, 2009 Bachelor of Art Education

Exhibition Record

2022     Group Exhibition, Art in The Woods, Open Air Art Space, Belleville, MI

2020     Solo Exhibition, Graduate Thesis Exhibition, University Gallery, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI

2019     Juried Group Exhibition, Emergence-19, Ford Gallery, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI

2019     Juried Group Exhibition, A Contemporary Drawing Exhibition, IU The Down Town Gallery, Indiana University, Kokomo, IN

2018     Juried Group Exhibition, Annual Graduate Student Exhibition, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI

2018-2019 Juried Group Exhibition, Arts in the Legislature, Michigan Legislature, Lansing, MI

2018     Juried Group Exhibition, Common Ground: Nature and the Human Experience, 22 North Gallery, Ypsilanti, MI

2018     Juried Group Exhibition, Art Now: Drawing, Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI

2017     Group Exhibition, Sculpitecture Group Show, EMU Parsons Center, Lake Ann, MI

2016     Juried Group Exhibition, Detroit Biennial, Museum of New Art MONA, Armada, MI

2016     Juried Group Exhibition, Annual Juried Student Show, Ford Gallery, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI

2015-2016 Representation in University of Michigan Museum of Art Gift Store, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

2014     Juried Art Fair, Traverse City Cherry Festival, Traverse City, MI

2014     Juried Art Fair, Riverside Art Fair, Bay City, MI

2010     Solo Exhibition, Tree of Life Art Studio, Milan, MI

2008     Group Exhibition, Juried Biennial Student Exhibition, Center for the Visual Arts Gallery, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH

2008     Group Exhibition, ‘Tis the Secor, Secor Gallery, Toledo, OH

Professional Experience

  • Artist, Independent/Self Employed (2017-present)

  • Art Instructor K-8th grade, Ann Arbor Christian School, Ann Arbor, MI (2010-2023)

  • Summer Program Founder & Director, Ann Arbor Christian School, Ann Arbor, MI (2017-2023)

  • Summer Program Instructor, Ann Arbor Christian School, Ann Arbor, MI (2017-2023)

  • Graduate Assistant Instructor of Record, Eastern Michigan University (January 2017-December 2018)

  • Art Center Founding Member & Instructor, Milan Art Center, Milan, MI (July 2010-December 2012)

  • Tree of Life Art Studio & Small Gallery Owner, Milan Art Center, Milan, MI (June 2010-December 2012)

Volunteer Activity

  •  Art & Soul Charity Board Member Art & Soul, South East MI (November 2016-October 2017)

Paid Internships

  • Art Instructor, Toledo Museum of Art, Sofia Quintero Cultural Center, Toledo, OH (October 2007-December 2008)

Honors and Awards

  • 4.0 GPA, Masters of Fine Art Program, EMU

  • Graduated summa cum laude, Bachelor of Art Education, University of Toledo

  • Graduate Assistantship as Instructor of Record, EMU

  • Dean's list recognition all semesters, University of Toledo

  • Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society Member, University of Toledo

Publications & Articles

 

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