My passion for art began at an early age when I would copy some of the paintings in my parents' art collection. While pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Humanities and Art History at the University of the Philippines, I also took private painting lessons with Sofronio Y. Mendoza (SYM), a renowned Filipino artist. My earlier works were mostly representational charcoal drawings and landscape paintings in oil, influenced by SYM.
Immigrating to the United States after college led me to careers in marketing and real estate. I raised two boys—one with special needs--while working full-time and pursuing my MBA at NYU Stern School of Business. As I juggled multiple priorities, I continued to work on my art to maintain balance.
Today, I am a full-time artist, and divide my time between New York City and Ulster County, My current work is in mixed media.
I begin each piece with a rough composition using acrylic paint as my base, often integrating layers of fabric, which is soft and pliable. During the process I explore different materials and build up the canvas with other textural elements such as sand, crushed shells and paper. (My husband is a studio furniture artist who works in precast terrazzo, and he literally has TONS of material, some of which have shown up in my paintings.)
I also like to recycle found objects or materials such as netting from produce packages, hornets nests, roots, branches, sticks and stones. Basically, I explore what piques my interest.
My process starts with a general idea or an image of a place, object or feeling I want to capture, and usually ends up with my magical version of reality. When I'm creating art, I experience Heaven on Earth, And I hope to share this positive energy with as many people as possible.
My art business has been designated as a "Trusted Art Seller" with The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.