I was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1995. Some of my earliest memories are of my Grandfather bringing me to the Portland Art Museum where I fell in love with massive colorful sculptures. In my child mind that was what I wanted to do for a living. Unfortunately society has a way of flattening joy and curiosity, so that dream faded with time and doubt.
During college I stumbled into an art course while taking a place-based studies term for my Environmental Studies major, and for the last three terms of my undergraduate education I gobbled up as many art courses as I could, sneaking into critique based classes that I did not have prerequisites for. I was primarily interested in sculpture at the time, though I dabbled in painting as well. As a result of this brief education I found more and more joy in studying the accidental beauty I saw in the world. Icontinued to draw, and doodle after college when resources were slim, though I never thought I would be able to create a career as an artist.
Some time in my mid twenties, I found my way into tattooing, and discovered it was one way I could regularly make money from my art. Though I was drawn into the world of tattoos by “ignorant style” aesthetics (strange objects, or figures drawn in a childlike fashion), my love for color and abstraction wouldn’t be ignored. By making money from my art I was able to re-invest in myself, and the materials and studio space I needed to dive back into making art regularly on a larger scale. My tattoo practice has changed my life and brought me so many wonderful human connections. Thanks to this craft here I am, living the dream of my little baby self.
