The role of surface is essential to my work. I enjoy exploring texture as I admire the tactile experiences especially found in nature. In addition to acrylic paint, I add acrylic modeling paste to my paints or apply it directly to the paper or canvas. Moving the combination across the surface yields beautiful moments of relief and surface texture. As layers are applied over time, paint settles into these relief areas and adds character to the work that I never could've replicated simply with a brush and imagination. Conceptually, I find nature, landscapes and biological forms such as cells and microbes fascinating. These items make up our living environment and provide us with both safety and danger. Overall, I’m inspired by the structures of the many surfaces that we touch with our hands or comprehend under a microscope. I find beauty in pondering entities that are smaller or larger than us, beyond our comprehension, including the sublime, the celestial or the microscopic. I am originally from western North Carolina. I earned my BFA in Art from The University of North Carolina at Asheville and my MFA in Art from Ohio State University. I reside in Atlanta and serve as the Studio Foundations Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Art at Kennesaw State University.