I have been making or appreciating art for as long as I can remember. I love to work with color, pattern, and texture and enjoy the power they hold to invoke emotion. When I let my academic career take over and stopped feeding my soul with creativity, my life became very imbalanced and my well being was suffering. I started to take workshops and classes that gave me some time to create and eventually started a regular practice of painting and mixed media work. I also started learning from leaders, teachers and life coaches about spirituality, personal growth, and leadership. I enjoy teaching and helping people change their perspective to achieve more peace, happiness, and empowerment. It is easy to get disconnected and overwhelmed in this high-tech busy world that we live in. Sometimes we need to take the time for ourselves to get out of our heads and into our hearts. This can help you reduce stress levels but it can also give you more clarity, more self-awareness, and increased ability to achieve soul inspired goals.
HOW DID I GET HERE? I worked with a wonderful life coach who got me motivated to venture into creativity again. I made various connections and eventually read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and did the entire program from the book in early 2014 along with Whitney Freya‘s 21-Day Painting Meditation Challenge. This really helped remove the creative blocks I was experiencing. The opportunities to work with art again started to pop up out of nowhere. I taught some classes and private parties at a local Bottles & Brushes business, co-presented on creativity for wellness with colleagues at the college where I work, and eventually felt drawn to do more. I studied with Whitney Freya in her Creatively Fit Coaching program and became certified in January 2015. I have also taken multiple online mixed media courses with Kelly Rae Roberts as well as Flora Bowley‘s Bloom True e-course and Chris Zydel‘s Painting With Fire program. Most recently, I have been learning from Faith Evans-Sills and Mati Rose McDonough. I thank all of my teachers for their guidance and inspiration. I also have a Bachelor of Arts in Art from the University at Albany, 2000. In addition to art, I studied with Tisha Morris to get certified as a feng shui consultant through the Earth Home School of Feng Shui and became certified in April 2015. My certification is in the Black Hat school of feng shui which is the more commonly used style of feng shui, also known as Western. I can apply feng shui principles and tools, such as the bagua map and decorating with the five elements and also work with you on your preferences, decor desires, furniture placement, and decluttering projects. More recently, I was drawn to the amazing work of Moriah Rochelle. After ordering an aura portrait from her, I followed her work and decided I needed to learn how to do this. I achieved my certification as an Aura Portrait Practitioner in 2020.
I AM an Artist. an Instructor. a Workshop Facilitator. a Certified Creatively Fit Coach. a Certified Feng Shui Consultant. a Librarian. a Certified Aura Portrait Practitioner. a Seeker. a Renaissance Woman.
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
Bachelor of Arts in Art - University at Albany - 2000
Masters of Science in Information Science - University at Albany - 2004
Certified Creatively Fit Coach - Whitney Freya - 2015
Certified Aura Portrait Practitioner - Moriah Rochelle Solgan - 2020
EXPERIENCE Art Instructor
Gloversville Public Library Children's Summer Programs
Gloversville Senior Center
Bottles & Brushes (Mayfield, NY)
Workshop Facilitator
Core Fit (Mayfield, NY)
Gloversville Public Library
Harmony Hill Farm (Pottstown, PA)
To the Moon and Back (Gloversville, NY)
Empire State College student events (Albany, Saratoga Springs, Rochester, and Syracuse, NY)
EXHIBITION HISTORY: 2001 – Gloversville Senior Center Art Show, Gloversville NY 2008 – Charity Event Art Show, Tiffany Smith Art Gallery, Johnstown NY 2016 – Artists and Authors Reception, Empire State College All College Event, Saratoga Springs NY 2018 – Artists and Authors Reception, Empire State College All College Event, Saratoga Springs NY 2018 – Rise Above Group Show, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton VA 2018 – Local Inspirations: A View Through Local Eyes, Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce Rotunda Gallery, Gloversville NY 2018 – Art in the Park, Johnstown NY 2018 – Albany Center Gallery Member’s Show, Albany NY 2020 - Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts New York State Art Show, Gloversville NY
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2018 – Local Inspirations: A View Through Local Eyes, Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce Rotunda Gallery in Gloversville NY.
Photo as featured in Fulton County Express, Page 12, Week of March 22-28, 2018 - Volume 4: Number 42