I have always had the ability to draw. I can remember back to the age of three when I got in trouble for creating a mural that I had hidden behind some pillows on my bedroom wall. I had drawn my whole family and some friends from the neighborhood.
While in high school I had an art teacher that cultivated me and was a strong mentor in my life. She believed in the gift that I had been given from god and felt that I needed to pursue it. I on the other hand had different plans for my future and went to Morris Brown College in Atlanta GA, on a scholarship to study Business and Hotel Management.
Many years passed before I picked up my gift again after college. I took some general art classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology but, was still unsure of what to do with my talent. Then one day a friend of mind invited me over to a family members house to see her art studio where she worked. She was a long arm quilter and offered to teach me how to quilt if I bought a sewing machine. Well I did and I was hooked! I learned all about traditional quilting, cutting and piecing of fabrics together, but it wasn’t until I attended a lecture on the dyeing of fabrics and how to make the fabric an art quilt that made me really understand what I was suppose to be doing.
I quickly went to the local art store the next day and asked if they had anything I could draw or paint on fabric with. I remember being directed to the isle that would change my future. My creativity and curiosity were ignited and my passion for art quilts was formed. In the quilts that I create I like to portray realisms. I have a special passion for portraits and the study of the face. I also enjoy using lots of color in my work along with bright colored fabrics. The combination of the two along with the quilting is what brings each individual piece to life.
I currently reside in New Jersey with my family and Shine Art has turned into a small business that is growing consistently. My future goal is to pursue my dream in a full time capacity.
