Biography
I grew up in rural Mississippi in poverty. I have always been one part dreamer, one part do-er. So I spent my childhood chasing the sun through the trees and drawing unicorns and bugs and birds with colored jewels in their foreheads. I managed to work through a Bachelor's degree in art but by my graduation my health was failing. (My training was in Printmaking, lithography and linocut primarily.) I took a detour from grad school and managed with teaching and making art in the field until I finally got the news.
I went 10 years before a neurologist discovered a large mass in my spine. I'm one of about 1000 people in the world diagnosed per year with adult spinal ependymoma. The mass in my spine is inoperable, I've undergone radiation and from that have lost much of my ability to walk and deal with severe chronic nerve pain. I've gone through a couple of dicey situations post-radiation; however, now I seem to be trying to put things back in order. I am thankful to have art with me as a constant. I spend my days splitting between art and retraining my legs, spending time with family, and video games.
In many ways I'm tremendously reclusive. I don't think I made a conscious decision to start making art that was extremely personal but it somehow became my means of communication and conversation. Making a beautiful piece is part of my perfectionist personality, making a piece that says something personal is my way of connecting. I do that through a formula of one part reality, one part fantasy.
