
I worked from 2009 to 2014 illustrating and writing children's books. The focus of my goals changed in 2015, moving from self-expression to social expression. Until the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted our ability to congregate, my primary art involved community – bringing the voices and visions of many together to create unified works on a larger than life scale. This work is undergoing modifications as we all struggle to find a new normal.
Thanks to the generosity and continued support from the RI State Council on the Arts, I developed and taught children's workshops from 2015 until March of this year, and produced two animated films using the art and stories of kids from the RI Public Libraries and Hasbro Children's Hospital. The Land of the SkyFighter was completed in July, 2017 and made a world debut at the RI International Film Festival, Flickers. Previous community works: The American Peace Flag Trilogy, 3 collaborative installations created with The Peace Flags Project, a non-profit organization in RI. Each 20 ft X 10 ft banner combined the Peace Flags made by over 300 people, in a giant reconstruction of the American Flag. Since the pandemic shut down my workshops, I have continued work in any way I could. Working with The Fox Point Library and Carla Rennick, we have been flming Youtube videos that document the process of creating sculptures in recycled materials for their courtyard. I also concentrate on work I can do from my home studio. I have been writing for Motif Magazine since 2015, and recently began writing for NriNOW.news, penning features on artists and musicians in Northern RI. It's a good feeling to know that I can do something to help publicize the people who continue their creative efforts in these critical times.
Often, what holds us back is that we don't know how to start or where to go from there! I show both children and adults how any project can be achieved, from inception to finished form. When people understand the creative process and work together, they can build far greater things than any one person could on their own. My aim is for those I work with to walk away believing that they CAN.