It all started with a pencil.
I started drawing when I was three years old, long before I understood what it meant to be an artist. I just knew I loved making things.
That curiosity changed direction when I met artist Linda Regula, who became my mentor and helped me see art not simply as something I enjoyed, but as a way of understanding myself and connecting with the world.
Her belief in me helped shape the artist - and the person - I would become.
Painting the beauty in being human.
I’ve always been drawn to people - the stories we carry, the identities we inhabit, and the complicated ways we learn to see ourselves and one another.
Through color, gesture, and symbolism, my paintings explore what it means to be human while celebrating individuality, vulnerability, and connection.
Where creativity has led.
A few chapters from the journey.
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Finding my foundation.
2002 · COLUMBUS, OHIO
At Columbus College of Art & Design, I began turning a lifelong passion for art into a professional life. I graduated with honors in 2002, carrying with me a curiosity about where creativity might lead. -
Coming full circle.
17 YEARS LATER
Returning to CCAD to receive the Alumni Award for Outstanding Service was a meaningful full-circle moment - recognition not simply for making art, but for using creativity to connect with and serve others.
When art became a way to stand up.
Art goes unexpected places.
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A commission for Dolly.
Watch the storyAn unexpected opportunity led to creating a commissioned painting for Dolly Parton - one of those wonderfully surreal moments when art opens a door you never imagined.
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Painting a song.
Watch the storyI was commissioned to create a painting inspired by a new song from Troye Sivan, with the finished artwork used to help promote its release.
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A painting finds a home.
Watch the storyWhen Global Citizen acquired one of my paintings for their New York headquarters, I joined their team virtually for its unveiling and shared the story behind the work.
WAR PAINT
Creating Queertopia.
COLLABORATION · QUEER ART · COMMUNITY
What began as an artistic collaboration with fellow artist Briden Schueren grew into Queertopia—a project exploring queer identity, resilience, joy, and belonging through art.
Together, we’ve brought Queertopia into college communities through immersive artist residencies, creating alongside students and transforming their stories and ideas into collaborative works of art.
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Art with something to say.
Collaborative paintings celebrate queer stories, identities, resilience, and joy.
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Creating side by side.
Residencies invite students into the creative process, turning their stories and ideas into art.
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Finding belonging.
The finished work becomes a gathering point for connection, visibility, and celebration.
Stories beyond the canvas.
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CHEESECAKE BOYS
Drawing outside the lines.
What began as a playful twist on classic pin-up art grew into a series of popular adult coloring books celebrating queer humor, sexuality, and body positivity.
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STAR GAZING
Looking back at the journey.
My illustrated autobiography traces the first forty years of my life as an artist - from childhood drawings and early mentors to the unexpected turns of building a creative life.
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ILLUSTRATION & PUBLISHING
Art that travels.
Alongside my studio practice, I’ve created hundreds of published illustrations and book covers, allowing my work to reach audiences far beyond gallery walls.
A different kind of honor.
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ARTIST STATEMENT
Why I paint.
I paint people because I’m fascinated by everything we carry beneath the surface - the parts of ourselves we reveal, the parts we protect, and the complicated space between the two.
My work explores identity, vulnerability, connection, and the ways we learn to see ourselves through the eyes of others. I’m especially drawn to people and stories that have historically been pushed to the margins, using color, gesture, and symbolism to create images that celebrate the complexity of being fully seen.
For me, painting is an act of connection. It asks me to look more closely, to stay curious, and to find beauty in places we aren’t always taught to look for it.
Ultimately, I want my work to remind us that there is no single way to be human - and that our differences are not obstacles to connection. They are where the most interesting stories begin.
"I believe art has the power to help people feel seen."
Still curious.
After all these years, I’m still most at home in front of a blank canvas, wondering what might happen next.
My creative life has taken me places I never could have imagined when I was that three-year-old kid with a pencil. But the thing that keeps me going hasn’t really changed: curiosity, connection, and the belief that making something can help us understand ourselves - and each other - a little better.
There’s still so much I want to make, learn, and share.
I’m glad you’re here for whatever comes next.