I like to tell people’s stories through my paintings. I look back to my childhood with fond memories of attending cultural events. In part due to my mother’s love of ballet, I developed a deep appreciation for the performing arts. As a young girl, my mother had aspired to dance professionally, but because of financial considerations, was never afforded the opportunity. With this knowledge, at ballet openings I better understand her intense excitement, her admiration of every step and feelings derived from viewing the dancers’ movements.

For my analysis, with the idea of “essence” in mind, I use ballet dancers as a vehicle to define the ambition, discipline, dedication, and concentration required to attain achievement. In so doing, I began to realize that many of my works are really about myself – my dedication to painting and the discipline it requires.

Libby’s Shoes is a testament to the hours of training that is a way of life for any professional artist. This piece is composed of 33 worn out pairs of pointe shoes collected from my friend Libby who is a professional ballet dancer. A professional ballerina can dance through 100-120 pairs of pointe shoes in one season.

As a group of artists from our separate yet connected studios through the Hausmann Millworks in San Antonio, Texas, we work hours in our pursuit to establish our individual voices, yet are part of a “collective consciousness.”