I live and work in Chicago, USA as an artist and educator. My artmaking and teaching practices are both exciting and challenging. I work intently to understand these challenges as seeds for personal growth, and am in a constant state of learning. The people and street art in Chicago and cities around the world inspire my photography, paintings and collages. A regular hot yoga practice helps keep me mentally and physically fit, and provides additional insights for creative work. I share an apartment with my musician partner Adam, and loving cat, Topanga, on a street which overlooks Lake Michigan. We can hear the waves when our windows are open.

My artmaking process and teaching practice are interconnected and inform one another. I work with an eclectic group of students from all around the city of Chicago and in one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods and schools in our city. I prioritize utilizing their input, feedback, questions and personal stories as ingredients for building engaging and innovative curriculum. This is an integral part of the collaborative artistic partnership between students and myself; helping students to develop their own ideas and to make real-world connections through the messy process of making art. I work hard to build trusting relationships with students in order to create an environment where they feel comfortable to play with art materials and their own unique ideas. Students often comment about how the class is their favorite part of the day, a dedicated space and time for them to freely experiment with projects they've actively helped to shape. I've been teaching visual art in public schools for the past 10 years.