I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in General Fine Arts and a minor in Art History with the honors of Magna Cum Laude in 2014 and a Master of Arts in Teaching from MICA in 2015. In 2017 I received my Master of Fine Arts at The University of Pennsylvania, where I was also the recipient of the Christopher Lyons Memorial Grant Award for the class of 2017. My work has been exhibited across the United States as well as in Florence, Italy. My studio practice encompasses sculpture, painting, photography, performance and installation. My most recent Solo Exhibition took Place at IA & A Hillyer Gallery in Washington DC and was recently been featured in the Washington Post.

My works on unprimed canvas are located somewhere between drawing and painting in terms of process. I render shapes of light and shadow on a canvas that functions as an object in addition to the traditional “window” of the picture plane. This object is a place for something to happen, like Rauschenberg’s white paintings or the cave of Plato’s allegory.

In my classes, I teach drawing as a common denominator among all forms of visual culture. Whether design, architecture, painting or sculpture, for example, drawing is the most immediate way to visualize your ideas. I also focus on perception as the basis of the drawing process, since learning to draw requires learning to see in a new way. At any level, drawing can be a profound experience that confirms our humanity, expresses the subjective nature of existence, and changes the way we see the world.

As a Brooklyn-based graphic designer and studio artist, I infuse the cultural environment of New York City into the classroom. Extensive travel throughout the US and abroad, and the variety of color and design strategies that I’ve encountered, informs my work in the studio and in the classroom. My classes are student-centered: each of us is a student and a teacher, and we learn from each other. Expect to develop your own voice and venture out of your “box” in a welcoming, collaborative and accepting environment. You will gain not only the conceptual and technical skills, but also wisdom and self-knowledge to build a career at Otis and beyond.