Welcome!

Here's a little bit of my personal experience with art. It has always been a love of mine, although I haven't been as consistent in its practice as I would like to be. Art takes time, and I have found that often you have to make time intentionally, else life will get in the way. Sometimes my breaks between art lasts a long time, years even, and the fear of failure grows until I lose sight of what I love most about it: how it makes me feel to finish a piece.

When I was little, I loved to draw. I would draw anything and everything. I believed in myself and was so proud of my work, I tried to sell it by standing by the mailbox at the end of my driveway and wave down drivers as they passed. As with many things from childhood, art fell by the wayside as I focused on dance recitals and music lessons, then eventually I shifted all my attention on being a social butterfly.

Fast forward to high school, and I was lucky to take a college course, basically a Watercolors 101 class taught in the evenings at a community college. My love for art and drawing was reignited, and I will never forget the experience of shopping for art supplies at Doochin's in Madison, TN. The store was so tiny, but the smell of supplies and the feel of the watercolor blocks gave literal weight to the desire to create. Once again, other areas of life took over, and my paints stayed in an airtight box for several years.

After that, painting came and went in my life, most often when I felt lost or needed to unwind in a way that made me feel good about myself when I was done with the task. I found myself putting out pieces in spurts, sometimes at the request of friends and family, and other times because I would stumble across something that inspired me.

My most recent uplift in art came in 2023, when I was recovering from knee surgery. I was on the lookout for flat places to walk, and happened upon the Spanish Arts Village here in San Diego. Home to dozens of artists in various mediums, I visited each little bungalow and spoke directly with the artists. While making art was how most of them were spending their time in retirement, my spirits were lifted - I had the thought that I could do it, too. I could make art, and be a part of an enclave where people loved art the same way I did. I knew there was a lot of work to do before I felt confident enough to apply to be a member, and that is how Spell Gallery was born. So here we are, where my art is featured for anyone to look at and enjoy.