I create surrealist oil paintings that merge portraiture with imagined worlds. I'm a nerd about materials that are archival, so our story will last. The art explores women and ordinary people as world builders blending cultural influences into layered, dream like compositions. Beyond the canvas, I create environments to showcase art in a way that breaks the traditional art scene. My color drenched gallery is designed to feel like a home, where art becomes a public, living, shared experience.

I find inspiration through crossing borders and seeing cultures by immersing myself in history. Moving through the world allows me to gather visual languages, symbols and perspectives that tell a story of our shared humanity and connection. I am drawn to the mission that weaves our diverse influences into a unified vision, one that honors where we have been and where we can go together. People are my inspiration in this way, and all the light and shadow that we have cultivated to come this far.

I would use the award to ravel to an ancient civilization like Egypt of Cambodia to study the early stories of our shared humanity. As a woman, I see freedom in moving across borders as rare and meaningful, and I carry it with a deep responsibility in continuing my education of art. From this, I would create a body of work showcasing the bridge of our past to present. That collection would go to an immersive exhibition to the public, offering the community a window into our collective history.