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I am an artist from Northwest Illinois. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio painting and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from Northern Illinois University (NIU). My artwork has been exhibited in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. In addition to my art career, I am also the Collections and Exhibitions Manager at the Freeport Art Museum, where I curate exhibitions featuring regional and national artists.

Using materials such as modeling paste, sand, and wax, I incorporate texture into my artwork so as to create a psychological struggle within the viewer. Although traditionally it has become socially unacceptable to touch artwork that is on display, my textured paintings provoke an overwhelming curiosity and desire for the viewer to reach out and touch the artwork’s surface. This desire places the viewer at an impasse where they have to decide whether or not to control their tactile impulses. That curiosity, in turn, provides the audience with a unique way of experiencing my artwork. I have painted with acrylic and oil, but most recently have shifted to working with encaustic wax. I have found that encaustic is an excellent medium for building layers that assimilate various natural wax textures into my artwork, as well as incorporate elements of mixed media collage.