I am a self-taught portrait and figurative artist from Louisville, Kentucky who has been diligently pursuing my passion as an artist nearly 5 years while raising with my husband, 3 teenage children. Although this is a drastic difference from my career as an accounting professional, my passion and comfort, since childhood has been centered around creating art. Capturing momentary glimpses of people being their natural selves always spark my urge to create. Witnessing emotions as manifested through facial expressions and body language is intriguing. My creative process begins with a connection to the subject and then capturing that "magical" moment in photo. I then proceed to translate the original experience seen through the lens to canvas. The connection could be the interaction between individuals, an individual’s emotions and expressions, or the mood and colors of the environment they are set in. Though I experiment with various mediums, oil paints are my preference. Their scent, texture and rich colors draw me to the easel and the photos beckon me to bring them to life. The goal in all my work is to create art that authentically reflect my experience of the subject’s emotions, mood and environment that inspired the original photo or urge to create. Also, that I create work that can bridge a connection between the viewer and the subject. My hope is the viewer will be drawn to acknowledge the humanity of the individual(s) captured on canvas by relating to their emotion, thoughts and story.