For over 20 years, I’ve used my artistic work in oil and acrylic to honor and memorialize the people, experiences, and memories that matter most. My latest project is a full-scale educational mural for the City of New Haven, Connecticut, at Edgewood Park. Titled The Seasons of Edgewood Park, the mural brings the park to life across all four seasons, capturing the wildlife, plants, and changing light from day to dusk. My aim was to spark conversations about environmental awareness and the importance of being responsible stewards of the world around us.

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As a fine artist with a focus on realism, I find that it’s all about the details—from discovering the two types of fur on an animal’s coat to layering different hues on the chrome of a 1960 El Camino. I constantly ask myself how I would begin to paint something, breaking down its textures, shapes, and colors. Nature is a never-ending source of inspiration, from the subtle shades in a shrub to the bright yellows of a dandelion in bloom.

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Georgia O’Keeffe once said, “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way—things I had no words for.” This resonates with me deeply, as art has always been my way of expressing what I couldn’t put into words. I first turned to art as a child to help me overcome a learning disability in English, and my biggest inspiration has always been my mother, a visual artist, who taught me to “paint what I saw.” My grandmother, a ceramicist, encouraged me to experiment and mix colors with a limited palette.

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Through painting, I don’t just express my own creativity—I also feel a deep sense of pride and fulfillment knowing that my work has touched the hearts of others.