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Age & Astrological Sign: Too old to answer that question, but I’m a gemini.
Favorite Quotation: I have many favorite quotes, but since this is relevant to this subject: “Draw till you get it right.” Wayne Thiebaud. This is my mantra. I rarely discard a piece of art that isn’t going like I planned. I keep working it until it is right, even if I don’t look at it for years. Sometimes putting something away for a while is the best way to get it finished with the best possible result.
Hometown: I lived in Clinton until my parents split up and moved to Jackson, but I went to the same school in Jackson the whole time.
How long have you lived in Oxford? 28 years, so I guess that makes me from here.
Artistic Style: I haven’t really thought of my style as having a name, but I guess I lean towards unrealistic realism. I’m sure that totally makes sense, right? At the moment I’m working on cityscapes.
Favorite Medium: I love to draw and paint, but I choose my medium based on what I’m trying to accomplish. Sometimes it’s charcoal on paper, sometimes it’s oil on canvas, or sometimes it’s acrylic on paper. Sometimes I mix some of these options up, and sometimes I just use crayons. That’s what makes art so fun!
Favorite Artistic Tool or Implement: Light. The subject needs to tell a story of light, and light is represented by color or value. There is nothing more important than good light.
Art Education: I was drawing as a young kid because I was obsessed with the concept of making a two dimensional piece of paper look like it had depth to it. I eventually finished my Bachelor of Fine Arts at Ole Miss.
Where do you get your ideas & inspiration: Mainly from everyday life. The show I’m currently working on is about nostalgia. I find a lot of artists become nostalgic at some point as they get older. It seems to be a natural progression in the stories you want to tell as you age. I’m doing portraits of some of the old buildings and places I remember from my hometown.
Favorite project you’ve completed: I feel like I’ve completed enough work in my life to not have one project as my favorite. At my age, each project is a new journey through time, and I’m usually most excited about what I’ve just finished, because I’ve never seen it before. It’s sort of like giving birth to a new child.
Can we see any of your art on display: I have a show coming up at Bottletree Studio at 615 E. Court St. in Jackson, on December 5th.
Three ideas you’d like to explore in your art: 1.) Contrast, both in the imagery and in the story being told. 2.) Simplicity, because I struggle with that aspect so much. I have a tendency to be too tight, and I’d like to loosen it up because I don’t think the viewer requires all of the information for an image to be successful. 3.) A new combination of medium. I’m in the mood to play with a new combination because it will make the journey more adventurous. I always love to see the result of a new mixture because sometimes it reveals a completely different atmosphere.
Favorite Artists: So many… Sargent, Hopper, Thiebaud, Diebenkorn, but I can go into any museum and find something to be inspired by.
Favorite Bands: I love all sorts of music, but I’ve been listening to a lot of Muse, Awolnation, Incubus, Foos, and Radiohead while I’ve been painting lately.
Favorite Books/Authors: House of Leaves by Mark Danielewsky, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje, and I just picked up The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, and I can’t put it down.
What do you love about Oxford, and what do you wish you could change? Football games and shopping. But I’d love to improve the parking situation if I could. 
