From catching an octopus with my brother under the dock at Elliott Key, to seeing a humuhumunukunukuapua’a (painted triggerfish) while snorkeling at the City of Refuge on The Big Island, to catching my first monster striper in the surf in Nags Head, the sea has always run through my veins.Looking back on my childhood, I consider myself lucky. With both of my parents working for The National Park Service, I grew up with places like Biscayne National Park, Volca-noes National Park, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore as my playground. This is where my passion for nature, especially the ocean and all its critters comes from.
My journey as a marine life artist started as a teenager. While I was living in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I worked at a little art gallery where I would paint fish, lighthouses, and nau-tical scenes on old pieces of wood that I would find on the beach. After living the “beach life”, I decided to pursue a degree in industrial design which led me into the field of furni-ture design and manufacturing. While designing furniture was always one of my passions, I still made time to paint marine life as a hobby.In 2016, I decided to refocus on my painting and started my own business based solely on my art.
As of 2023, I now have a shop in Oakland Park, Florida where I focus on carpentry, printing, and even have a small showroom to display my latest creations. I also com-bine my art with my furniture designs and offer custom tables and bars featuring a variety of artwork.As I reflect on the environment I grew up in, combined with the encouragement and support I received from friends and family, I truly feel I was meant to be an artist, designer and builder. My father is a gifted carpen-ter and wood worker who taught me everything from building a house to rebuilding a Chevy small block. My mother is a talented artist who taught me everything from drawing an eleva-tion to mixing my own neutral gray to avoid using black in my paintings. (Art-ist shop talk).
Regardless of my dreams or goals–especially the crazy ideas and ventures along the way, they always believed in me. Now, to be The Billfish Foundation’s 2024 Artist of the Year, it’s truly incred-ible to look back on all those moments that shaped the path to get me here. As I continue to pursue my passions and do the work I love, I can only hope to provide people with some of that same joy through my artwork. Thank you for the opportunity!
