Artistic expression has always been a huge passion of mine. Growing up, my dad used to hand pick antiques and restore them in our barn. I would watch him turn something old and worn to something unique and beautiful. As I thought back, I realized that I had created many pieces out of wood thoughout the years. I have a distant memory of building a wine rack out of pallets with my grandfather. In 2015, I build a 10 ft tree branch replica our of pine, and It hangs on my living room wall to this day. This piece has moved with me cross country three times. Needless to say, it is finally in its final home in Fort Collins, Colorado.

In December 2019, I became very ill. I had been with my partner, Conor, for just two months before being diagnosed with Crohns Disease. My physical and mental health took a big hit. My life as I knew it, would never look the same. The career that I had worked so hard for was beginning to take a told on my body. At the time, I was a Director for a Special Education School in Connecticut.

On Valentines Day 2020, Conor and I signed a lease in Fort Collins Colorado. I wanted a change and I wanted to live my life to the fullest. I stuck with my career in Education for as long as I could, and ended up making the decision to end it in May of 2022. At this time, my health was very unstable and uncertain. We made the difficult decision to leave the town that we grew to love so much, and head back to the East Coast to be closer to our families.

Conor and I were getting ready to be married in September of that year. While wedding planning, we decided we wanted to incorporate mountains. So, I made mountains. We had a wonderful wedding. After our wedding, I spent all of my free time making art. I was making a lot of art reminiscent of Colorado. We were both really missing the town that we had spent loving the last two years..

So we packed up our two dogs, our 43 plants, and headed back! Since being back, I have dedicated the majority of my time to creating. I am so inspired by the beautiful people, community and natural world around me. Living in a town that has so much love for its local artists has been very fulfilling. Since being back, I have had the amazing opportunity to hold vendor spots at several local Makers Markets. This can be a lot of work but is always so worth it. I love getting to chat and meet everyone who stops by. I have also been lucky enough to display my art in local Fort Collins shops.

Art has been very therapeutic to me, especially these last few years. It’s a way to express myself, to share my world and my experiences, and to escape the bad days. I am thankful to be in such a beautiful town, surrounded by beautiful people and community. I love sharing my work. There is no feeling quite like you get when you dedicate so much time and love into creating something and someone who you’ve just met, or never met loves it just as much as you. My goal is to keep creating and sharing my art. I hope to inspire others with disabilities to do something that makes them happy.