I began drawing and painting at the age of seven.

While studying art in Toronto and Hamilton alongside great artists and instructors, I discovered that portrait painting was my niche. Today, my “mentors” are Cesar Santos and Andrew Tischler.

Painting portraits is my passion. A Portrait should express the essence of the subject and I love the challenge in capturing it. I use the methods and techniques of the old European masters and I am not satisfied until the portrait “breathes”. Every portrait I create allows me to produce a work of art that exhibits beauty and timelessness; my hope with each piece is that it becomes a cherished heirloom, providing deep meaning for many generations.

Since 2013, I have also harnessed the power of art to mentor at-risk youth, helping them to cope with strong emotions through the canvas. I was also the designer and co-facilitator of “All in for Change”, an art workshop delivered as part of Empowerment Squared’s “Our Youth, Our Future” campaign, funded by the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan. As a Director of Charity Chicks Hamilton, I have used art to create a sense of peace and belonging as we work with the homeless in the Hamilton Downtown Core. For these contributions, I was honoured to receive the Jackie Washington Award at the 2019 Reverend John C. Holland Awards. This is my motivation to obtain my certification as an art therapy practitioner.