As a visual Artist, I have always felt a strong need to create. The first known incident was when I was a toddler, drawing whales and trees with my crayons on my freshly painted yellow bedroom walls, as if I had been given a fresh canvas to create a mural. From photography to highly textured paintings to mosaic to assemblage with found objects and everything in between, I am a versatile visual Artist that loves to create. My love affair with photography began when I was a small child and my grandmother would bring out her special photo box filled with family photos dating back to the 1800s. After receiving my first camera for my 9th birthday, I would run around and photograph everything, as if I thought I was a national geographic photographer. These days I enjoy creating images that show subjects that may have gone unnoticed in our fast paced world. BIO A North Carolina native, I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art from Wingate University in 1993 and I moved to Shreveport, Louisiana in 2000. I create commissioned work for clients and creative images for collectors & galleries. I am the Director of Noel Community Arts Program and I reside in Shreveport, Louisiana. Resume EXHIBITIONS 2021 UPCOMING IN OCTOBER: Solo at the Meadows Critical Mass 9 2020 Vizion 2020, Viewable on a viewmaster Quarantime, Artspace, Shreveport Reawakening: A Discipline Exhibition, Red River BrewPub, Shreveport Women of Art, Hilton Hotel, Shreveport Critical Mass 8 KMR: We Are Art, Louisiana State Exhibit Museum 2019 Depth of Field: A Photographic Exhibition, East Bank Gallery, Bossier Arts Council, Bossier City, Louisiana Critical Mass 7, Artspace, Shreveport Collectible Artists Exhibition, Central Art Station, Shreveport Throw Me Something Mister: A Louisiana Themed Exhibition, 1800 prime Steakhouse, Boomtown Casino, Bossier City, Louisiana (Bossier Arts Council) KMR Presents Louisiana Through Our Eyes, Fairfield Studios (Agora), Shreveport 2018 (Solo) Ghosts of Downtown’s Past, Spring Street Museum, Shreveport, Louisiana Red River Balloon Rally, Louisiana State University at Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana In the Clouds, Emerging Artists Gallery, Bossier Arts Council, Bossier City, LA Micro/Macro: Under the Microscope, Into the Cosmos After Party, Minicine? Artport, Shreveport Regional Airport, Shreveport, Louisiana Critical Mass 6, Artspace, Shreveport, Louisiana Beaded Blanket Trail, Shreveport Common, Shreveport, Louisiana 2017 InGraved, Artspace, Shreveport, Louisiana DigiFest, Bossier Civic Center, Bossier City, Louisiana 6x6x2017, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester, New York Meta*MOORE*Phosis, Minicine?, Shreveport, Louisiana Critical Mass 5, Artspace, Shreveport, Louisiana Collectible Artists Exhibition, Central Art Station, Shreveport, Louisiana Relax & Unwind Miniature Challenge, The Agora Borealis, Shreveport, Louisiana 2016 Umbrella Challenge, The Agora Borealis, Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport Common (The Link) Exhibition & App Launch, Central Art Station, Shreveport, Louisiana DigiArts, Bossier Arts Council, Bossier City, Louisiana Critical Mass 4, ArtSpace, Shreveport, Louisiana 2015 Shreveport Regional Arts Council, Artist Entrepreneurial Training VI Graduate Exhibition, Central ArtStation, Shreveport, Louisiana. 2014 Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier Shop for a Cause, Artists Alley, Shreveport Convention Center, Shreveport, Louisiana 1993 Senior Art Exhibit, Burnside-Dalton Gallery, Wingate University, Wingate, North Carolina SELECTED PROJECTS 2017, Nick Cave Beaded Blanket Frame Embellishment Project, Mosaic, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, Shreveport, Louisiana 2016, Shreveport Common Artist Team, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, Shreveport, Louisiana EXPERIENCE 2021 to Present, Director, Noel Community Arts Program, Shreveport, Louisiana 1993 to Present, Professional Artist, Working with various mediums, such as acrylic painting, Jewelry, photography, mixed media. Commissioned art for clients, creative images for galleries and collectors. 1995-1999, Docent, Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina TEACHING EXPERIENCE I have enjoyed sharing my love of Art with others since 2006, when I began teaching Art. I am always fascinated how I can give each student the same materials, but the final result is as many individual works of Art as there are students. This fact proves to me that Art is an individual expression. 2021, Art Camp teacher, Noel Community Arts Program, Shreveport, Louisiana 2019, Art Break Festival, Lead Artist, Monster Mouth 2018, Art Break Festival, Lead Artist, Fraction Flowers 2017, Art Break Festival, Lead Artist, Phalange Fun 2016 to 2017, Teaching Artist, SRAC/Art Space – Arts in Education, Shreveport, Louisiana 2016, University Elementary School, Art Club Facilitator, Shreveport, Louisiana 2014 to 2017 Art Instructor, Noel Community Arts Program, Shreveport, LA 2013 to 2017, Art Instructor, Private Art Instruction, Shreveport, Louisiana 2006 to 2010, Art Teacher, Gymboree Play & Music, Shreveport, Louisiana HONORS & AWARDS 2018 Shreveport Times Photo Contest, 3rd Place 2018, Critical Mass 6, Honorable Mention, Juror: Alicia Eler 2017, Collectible Artist, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, Juror: Robert L. Pincus, Ph.D. 2016, Northwest Louisiana Artists Roster, SRAC, Juror: Gwynned Vitello (Juxtapose Magazine) EDUCATION Spring 2015, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, Artist Entrepreneurial Training, Class VI Fall 1995, Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC, Docent Training December 1993, Wingate University, Wingate, North Carolina, Bachelor of Arts Majored in Art. Studied under Dr. Louise Napier, C. Douglas Helms and Lex Youngman. SELECTED EVENTS 2019 Collectible Artists Studio Tours 2018 October Downtown Shreveport Artwalk, Ghosts of Downtown’s Past, Spring Street Museum January Downtown Shreveport Art Walk, Featured Artist at Spring Street Museum 2017 Art in the Park, Walter B. Jacobs Nature Park, Shreveport, Louisiana Brunswick Place Fall Festival, Shreveport, Louisiana Culture Crush Studio Tours, Karen LaBeau’s Studio, Shreveport, Louisiana 2016 December Downtown Shreveport Art Walk, Art Space, Shreveport, Louisiana November Art in the Park, Walter B. Jacobs Nature Park, November Shreveport Downtown ArtWalk at Central Art Station October Brunswick Place Fall Festival 2015 September 6, 2015, Highland HOSTS, Guest Artist at Karen LaBeau’s and Nick Cave Bead-a-Thon. 2013 Brunswick Place Fall Festival University Elementary Fall Carnival 2012 Brunswick Place Fall Festival University Elementary Fall Carnival MEMBERSHIPS Shreveport Regional Arts Council Bossier Arts Council SELECTED COLLECTIONS & COLLECTORS Bart & Lesa McDonald LeVette Fuller The Bayou Medium Gallery, 2410 Line Ave, Shreveport, Louisiana Private Collectors in North Carolina Private Collectors in Shreveport, Louisiana Central ArtStation, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, Shreveport, Louisiana University Elementary School, Shreveport, Louisiana Artspace, Shreveport, Louisiana Spring Street Historical Museum, Shreveport, Louisiana TELEVISION January 12, 2020, KSLA, KMR: We Art Art September 22, 2016, KTBS Morning Show, Interview with Andrea Finney, Promoting Shreveport Common App & Exhibition September 17-18, 2015, KMSS FOX 33, On the Scene Artist Segment with Joel Rodgers, Broadcast during 9:00pm Newscast and 7:00am Morning Show. ARTICLES (PRINT & ONLINE) Summer 2019, 64 Parishes Magazine, Photo Contributor, Pages 22-24 August 19, 2018, Shreveport Times, And the Winner Is, Pages 1A & 5A August 14, 2018, “Shreveport Times Photo Contest: And the Winner Is” https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2018/08/14/winners-2018-times-photo-contest/872215002/ July 25, 2018, Top 20 – Times Photo Contest 2018, https://www.shreveporttimes.com/picture-gallery/news/2018/07/25/top-20—times-photo-contest-2018/37106095/ Top 50 Announced for 3rd Annual Times Photo Contest https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/life/2018/06/07/3rd-annual-times-photo-contest-starts-now/652884002/ Winter 2017, Louisiana Cultural Vistas, “Weaving a Trail”, pg 68. December 2017, National Society of Colonial Dames Newsletter, Photo of Annie McCune’s Chair from Spring Street Museum’s Collection March 30, 2017, “25 NWLA Artists You Need To Be Collecting Now”, Shreveport Times, Page 4C October 2016, Caddo Parish School & Family Magazine, Photograph, Page 11 September 2016, Heliopolis Magazine, “Photography of Maria Schmelz”, Page 7 July 2016, “Three Photographers Capture the Red River Balloon Rally in Shreveport”, Heliopolis website June 2016, Heliopolis Magazine, Photographic Contributor February 28, 2016, “Critical Mass 4 at Artspace”, photo of my piece, Sasafrass June 22, 2015, “Common Culture Week Events Kick off Tomorrow”, Shreveport Times. October 22, 2014, “Noel Community Arts Program helps locals discover talent”, Shreveport Times newspaper, Photograph with student Thomas Blancher by Henrietta Wildsmith/Times, featured in the print paper (not online). March 14, 2014, Photo of Capitol Trolley by the sign, “Shopping For A Cause Market Girls Night Out”, Paul Schultze/Times, shreveporttimes.com. College / University: Wingate University Graduation Year: 1993