Tell us more about your studio! As a Niagara Falls local, I am constantly in awe of nature, and do my best to replicate it in my work. I work primarily in paints, colored pencil, and mixed media. More recently, I have been exploring crochet, graphic imaging, and digital photography. In addition to nature, my subjects include architecture, animals, and people – painted realistically with a touch of whimsy. When I am not immersed in art, I am surrounded by my big blended family, giving tours at Niagara Falls State Park, being a freelance Community Psychologist, singing, or reading. I am currently pursuing a career shift into Art Education. Art has always been my favorite form of self-care, and I love to share it with others through Brave Spirit Arts’ social and healing art events. I offer classes, originals, prints, invitations, crafts, and commissions. Brave Spirit Arts hosts the Niagara Falls, NY chapter of Silent Book Club. Unique to my studio is Spooky Tea, a gathering of people who enjoy talking about spooky things while crafting and snacking.
What do you enjoy most about being a tenant at the NACC? The NACC offers an affordable space for artists to explore earning a living through the arts. I also love seeing (and hearing) all of the different types of art activity in the building!
Tell us a little about yourself and your journey as an artist. I have been creating art since I was a little kid, but didn’t get serious about it until I was an adult, as my focus was on vocal music and theatre in high school and college. I recently found a class project from fourth grade, where I said I wanted to be an art teacher when I grew up. Now, after 20 years in human services and nonprofit work, I am finally working to make that a reality! My first art show was at Harvard Unviersity’s Arnold Arboretum, as a part of their Lilac Festival. Since then, I have shown my work at 24 Below Gallery, the Castellani art Museum, the NACC, Tugby’s Bazaar, and SUNY Niagara. Art became more of a business for me around 15 years ago, when I began taking pictures of my art to sell on cards and as prints at craft fairs. Shortly after that, I was given the opportunity to start my own social art events when my sister’s dance studio was looking for a creative fundraiser for their dance team. My first social art events had around 100 participants each, allowing me to purchase supplies like easels and smocks. I continue to offer these events, which I call Painting with Spirit. Next came my introduction into offering art as a healing tool. I was given the opportunity through my work in human services to attend a training conducted by A Window Between Worlds, which focused on facilitating healing art workshops with families experiencing domestic violence. I became very passionate about this, and helped start up a program through a local DV program, where I ran these groups and curated art shows. I now offer healing art through my studio. I call these workshops Mindful Method. I was brought in as a teaching artist at the NACC in 2020, where I taught a children’s mixed media class and a teen class which meshed creative writing and painting. In 2021, I was given the opportunity to rent a studio at the NACC. My studio has grown to offer additional classes, which I offer both onsite and in the community. I continue to sell prints, but also make jewelry, ornaments, pins, keychains, etc. featuring my art.
What inspired the name “Brave Spirit Arts,” and what does it represent to you? The name Brave Spirit Arts was inspired by the mantra, “Kind Heart, Fierce Mind, Brave Spirit.” That has always resonated with me, and it reflects the welcoming, healing nature of my studio and work.
Your work explores nature, whimsy, and reflection. Where do you most often find inspiration? I often find inspiration in gardens, watching people interact in the wild, and at Niagara Falls. My most powerful emotions tend to come through in poetry, and I often use those poems to guide my work, and even include them in my work.
You create across several mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, mixed media, and jewelry. Do you have a favorite medium, or does each one offer something different? It really depends on my mood. Drawing is where I find I can get the most detail and it is more portable. This allows me to spend time with family and to give this introvert an outlet at social events. Painting is messy, and I love the physical process. When I have a few hours, and I can get to the studio or outside, I paint. Mixed media is my original passion, and I revisit it often, especially when I have an artistic block. I love that I can create mixed media pieces with reused materials!
How would you describe your artistic style to someone discovering your work for the first time? I would definitely say it is whimsical. It’s like I’m aiming for realistic, but my dreamworld gets in the way. I think this makes a really unique result!
Niagara Falls and the surrounding area appear throughout your work. What makes this community and landscape meaningful to you as an artist? Niagara Falls is home. It is imperfection, beauty, love, nostalgia, and possibility. Much like the human experience.
You have described art as a form of self-care. How has creativity supported you personally, and how do you share that experience with others? Art has always been there for me, in good times and bad. When I moved to a new city in college, I wrote poetry and drew in my sketchbook. When I experienced the loss of my grandparents, I dove into painting. Through changes in relationships, I relied on mixed media collages to help me find my words. I have shared the benefits of art with families experiencing domestic violence, human service providers, community members, new parents, and those experiencing grief or other emotional distress.
Is there a particular piece or project that holds special meaning for you? What is the story behind it? There are a few! The one that comes to mind is a colored pencil piece entitled “Nana Remembers.” My wee Scottish Nana was suffering from dementia, and my aunt asked if I would help her remember how to knit, because she thought it would be soothing for her. I’m not very good at knitting myself, but Nana was a pro. As the dementia set in, she forgot. After sitting with her for about an hour (and struggling right along with her), she remembered. She was knitting! I decided to capture that moment by drawing her hands as they knit. This is a very special way to remember her now!
What does your creative process usually look like, from the first spark of an idea to a finished piece? It’s often very spontaneous. Except for commissions or more complicated pieces, I often do not plan very much. Sometimes it starts with a poem or an idea in my notes app. And then I’m all in. I’ve found that media like oil and watercolor have retrained my artistic brain to take my time and be more planful, respectively. As far as the finished piece, sometimes I just know it’s finished, and sometimes I could work on the same piece forever. I find myself leaving it for a few days (or more) and then looking again.
How has having a studio at the NACC influenced your work or helped Brave Spirit Arts grow? Being able to have a working space, gathering space, and gallery space (I’m still working on this for my current studio) has allowed me the freedom to spread out, hold events, and find inspiration. I also like to keep a little boutique set up, which allows for passersby to check out my shop.
What are you currently working on, and are there any upcoming projects, workshops, or collections you would like people to know about? I am currently working on a series of commissioned colored pencil pet portraits, beginning a couple of family portrait commissions, planning a community art installment, crocheting small items for a vending machine company, and building up my photography and digital imaging portfolios. Meanwhile, I am attending classes at Buffalo State to become an art teacher. Once I catch my breath, I’ll be scheduling Silent Book Club, Spooky Tea, and art workshops for the fall!
Where can people view or purchase your artwork and learn more about Brave Spirit Arts? Much of my artwork is available printed on multiple items through my shop on RedBubble. I am also on both Instagram and Facebook. If I’m in my studio, which is sometimes sporadic, stop in! I can be reached via email at bravespiritarts@yahoo.com.