Acrylic Paint, Acrylic Marker on canvas or wood
A collection of acrylic works created on canvas, canvas panels, and reclaimed wood cutouts. While the primary medium is acrylic, some pieces are accented with colored pencils, gel pens, and oil pastels to add depth and detail. The wood cutouts are sourced from off-cuts donated by DD Audio, a local subwoofer manufacturer, giving new life to materials originally left over from their custom speaker boxes
Gender Fluid – Acrylic on 10”x30” Canvas – 2025
My first big drippy canvas. I honestly didn’t think this painting would turn out this well. I went in willing to sacrifice a canvas, and came out with a perfect representation of my gender identity. This was also the first time I really believed I could fix anything in a painting. I learned to trust my ability AND my paints. I think that’s why I had so much fun with this one.
Purple at the Disco – Acrylic on 5″ Wood Cutout – 2025
Purple at the Disco was started in 2022, inspired by Sari Shryack and her discoball series. I decided to give it a go but quickly got discouraged. I didn’t even complete the first layer. My (sweet, loving, amazing) partner decided to hang it up, unfinished, with exposed wood. I kept it up for about a year until I couldn’t stand looking at that raw wood anymore. I took it down and started the second layer. I wanted to play with painting expressively, and this seemed like a pretty low-stakes way to get started. I really wanted to lean into the playfulness of art so I didn’t think too hard about what went where. I’m happy to report that it is back up on the wall and I don’t hate it anymore.
Punkin’ – Acrylic on 7″ Wood Cutout – 2025
Punkin’ was mostly an experiment with modeling paste. I’ve been leaning into fall color palettes lately and wanted to merge my love of drippy backgrounds with landscape painting. I was worried the drippy background might be too busy for the level of detail I wanted in the pumpkin patch. I had some modeling paste that hadn’t found its purpose yet, and it seemed like a possible solution. Since this was my first time using modeling paste, I was a little skeptical—but it turned out better than I expected! I especially love the texture it created for the pumpkins. There’s still a lot to learn, and I already have a better idea of what to try next time. I’m excited to incorporate modeling paste into more future pieces.
Fall Floral – Acrylic on 8″ Canvas – 2025
Fall Floral was made alongside Punkin! I had just got some cheap oil pastels to add to my practice, and desperately wanted to play with them. One of my worst habits as a painter is putting WAY too much paint on my palette. I use a crayon box to help extend drying time, and that usually works pretty well. This time, I decided to make a second painting with the leftover paint. It was all very loose and playful. I didn’t have any intention of sharing it with others. But I had SO MUCH FUN. I love how vibrant and expressive the oil pastel looks. It’s just a folksy lil fall floral and I love it.
Forged in Fire – Acrylic on 8″ Canvas Panel – 2025
Forged in Fire is a personal reminder that my positivity isn’t rooted in naivety, but in resilience. It represents my perseverance and my determination not to slip into nihilistic or cynical ways of thinking. My confidence has been hard won. I’ve never been naturally self-assured; at times my self-belief has felt as fragile as glass. But like glass, it can be recycled. Every time it’s shattered, I’ve gathered the pieces, returned to the furnace, and rebuilt it—at first with nothing but blood, sweat, tears, and white knuckles. Again and again. Not always immediately, but always with new tools and techniques to strengthen and reinforce it.
This piece reflects that process through its layers. I used nearly every supply I had on hand—acrylic paint, acrylic markers, colored pencils, watercolor markers, India ink, oil pastels, and gel pens—applied in a way that felt both haphazard and intuitive, mirroring the messy, intuitive work of rebuilding myself.
Stained Glass Daisy – Acrylic on 5×8″ Wood Cutout – 2023
Stained Glass Daisy was my first time using tinted gesso as a base on the wood cutouts
and boy-howdy was it life-changing. Also my first time painting stained glass. I really tried to think about glass and how the pieces would be cut if it was actually made of glass. I know not all the shapes are practical, but the texture I was able to achieve with the heavy body acrylic really makes it look like textured glass. I was still very inexperienced with using a brush for detailed linework. Thankfully I chose a pretty forgiving subject.
Smoke Break – Acrylic on 7″ Wood Cutout – 2023
I made this while I was high and listening to “Smoke Break” by Chance the Rapper. It’s technically a fingerpainting. I had been looking at the smoke coming off of the bowl and wanted to find a way to paint it. I love watching smoke, there’s something so relaxing about it. (DONT SMOKE, KIDS)
Lavender and Coneflowers – Acrylic on 8″ Canvas – 2025
Lavender and Coneflowers is my most recent landscape painting. I started it on a whim, but had to use sheer force of will to finish it. I’ve become spoiled by my ability to simply ‘undo’ an action when painting digitally. I knew picking up a brush would be humbling, but it still hurt my feelings. Damn feelings.
I’m so glad I kept going with this one. Even though all I see is everything I’d do differently next time, I still see massive improvement compared to some of my earlier landscapes. And it was definitely a catalyst for all of my most recent floral designs. Gentle reminder that making art is never a waste of time or materials!! Do it anyways!!
The Light – Acrylic on 4″ Canvas Panel – 2024
The Light is an acrylic painting on 4×4″ canvas panel done in 2024. I was inspired by J. Cole’s lyric in Pretty Little Fears by 6LACK. It was an unexpected reminder of Ram Dass’s lectures about how people show up as mirrors. Folks we describe as “difficult people” are often just opportunities for us to recognize something within ourselves. It works both ways, though. When we feel inspired or in awe of someone else, it’s because there is a part of us that is the same, and can recognize how beautiful those qualities are. And they HAVE to reside in us to appreciate it, because otherwise our ego would feel threatened by the lack (which would just be something else to notice, no worries)
I feel very lucky to have so many wonderful lights in my life. Thank you for seeing me, you, us
Mushies – Acrylic on 5×8″ Wood Cutout – 2022
Mushies was my first attempt at incorporating wood cutouts into my practice. I didn’t prep or treat the wood, so it absorbed most of my paint. I really liked that I could see the wood texture, but it made blending very difficult. I also treated it more like a watercolor painting, and wasn’t comfortable with layering yet, so I wasn’t able to get the gradient I wanted. I still love this painting, though. It’s whimsical and magical. It marks a subtle but important shift in the way I approach art.
Monstera – Acrylic on 5×8″ Wood Cutout – 2022
Monstera was my second attempt at using the wood cutouts, and you can see a couple of the lessons I learned from the first attempt. I added a tinted gesso primer and used multiple layers. I used acrylic markers for this painting, so I wasn’t really worried about blending. I wanted it to be more expressive. The goal of this painting was to experiment with color and composition. I had just learned about the Rule of Odds and wanted to see if odd groups of even would fit that rule. Personally, I like to stretch the limits of rules and I was pleased to see this was a rule I could manipulate in my own little way.
Free Hugs – Acrylic on 4″ Canvas Panel – 2023
Free Hugs was made while I was in a particularly cheeky mood. It’s technically “unfinished” but I never got back around to it. Honestly, though, the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. I decided to keep this intact and repurpose the design for one of my postcards. It’s also featured in my Howdy Doodle Botanical Coloring Zine!
Spooked – Acrylic on 10″ Wood Cutout – 2024
Spooked was created after a pretty long painting hiatus. I was severely depressed and anxious. Now I know it was due to extreme burnout from having undiagnosed ADHD and struggling to find steady employment. In the moment, though, it felt like I couldn’t just appreciate little joys. I was easily spooked, and had a hard time trusting the beauty that was all around me. Something as magical and harmless as a glowing butterfly sent me into a freeze-response, just because it was unfamiliar. I wanted to warp the perspective of this scene to emphasize how disoriented I felt.I gifted this painting to my son’s grandmother for mother’s day because she loved it so much. Even though my son’s father and I separated before he was even born, his parents have always been loving and supportive. They treat me as one of their own. There have been so many messy and difficult times since my son was born, and they’ve been a constant source of grace. They’re my magical glowing butterfly. Their love is
something I didn’t expect or understand or feel deserving of. I’m so glad I can fully appreciate and embrace them now.
Reciprocal Radiance – Acrylic on 8″ Canvas Panel – 2023
Reciprocal Radiance was created as a gift for a friend who felt like my equal and opposite. I love playing with geometrical shapes and symmetry.
Purple Lake – Acrylic on 5″ Wood Cutout – 2025
Purple Lake was an experiment for using the oil pastels on wood cutouts. Also never planned on sharing this one, but there’s just something here that I can’t quite articulate. It feels like it’s a step in a different direction, but I’m not sure what direction that is. I’m sure it’ll be clear later on, and that’s why I’ve included it. Named Purple Lake for my first favorite watercolor pigment. I could’ve never guessed I’d be here when I first started painting.
Red Light Green Light – Acrylic on 5″ Wood Cutout – 2022
Oh Shit – Acrylic on 5″ Wood Cutout – 2023
The first wood panel I ever got from the woodshop. I was so excited, I couldn’t even wait to get home. I threw all but this one in my trunk and painted this at the bar with my acrylic markers. This was truly all I could think on our way out to the car.
Nihilism at the Disco – Acrylic on 14″x14 Canvas – 2026
This piece was created for the Art For All fundraiser. It’s a one-line illusion meant to spell “VOID” but is absolutely open for interpretation. I really didn’t want it to be obvious. I painted this while miscarrying, while trying to come to terms with the fact that I really couldn’t talk about it. It’s something you really can’t understand unless you go through it. Even my therapist was left a little lost for words. Rightfully so. I couldn’t fault anyone for not knowing what to say. And talking to folks that had been through it felt mean. I felt like I was opening old wounds. Forcing them to revisit their pain on my behalf. That felt selfish. I felt like I was floating through a void, just waiting to come out on the other side a completely different person.
I Think There’s Mold in My Brain – Acrylic on 8″x8″ Canvas – June 2026
This piece was created for the Art For All fundraiser. It’s inspired by the Soccer Mommy song “Circle the Drain”. My favorite lyric from this song is “I think there’s mold in my brain, running down all the way through my heart and my body”. This song was a great source of solace for me this month. The exhaustion from the bloodloss is hard to explain. Watching everything I had poured so much love into just get flushed down the drain broke something in me. I was bedridden when I wasn’t carving Burst Bubble, and I genuinely felt like I was rotting.