In 2013, my boyfriend, Karl Fisher, passed away suddenly, and I was left with all of his painting supplies, materials and some of his work. I dug through the drawers looking for him but instead I found a deep curiosity that aided in mourning my loss. I had been painting watercolors as a hobby, but only representational landscapes. Digging through Karl's art class plans and his work, I discovered the depths of source material and a spark was lit.

Robert Siegelman's drawing class & Terry Boutelle’s painting class were the first time I began to explore gesture, color and value in a meaningful way, yet I struggled to internalize what I was learning and my instincts were unpredictable, but occasionally successful. I also studied printmaking with Kate Hanlon and adire dying with ...