This week marks twenty years since Hurricane Katrina changed New Orleans and the Gulf South forever. If you live here, you know the news has been filled with remembrance pieces, footage, and commentary. For many of us who lived it, reliving those days isn’t easy. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write this. But […]
Today I want to share one of my fondest memories: the first time I met Sugarland. If you know me, you know I’m a huge Sugarland fan. Let’s rewind to when I was about 23. I recently became friends with a fellow superfan named Christy—we actually met while stalking Sugarland at Jazz Fest. Yep, that’s how it started: two […]
Every artist has that one piece—the one that feels like a turning point, a burst of inspiration that changes everything. For me, that piece is Splendor Beneath the Waves, which represents the vast beauty of a coral reef. This painting, which was featured in my exhibition Off the Hook: A Journey Beneath the Waves at the West Baton Rouge […]
Last night was supposed to be a fun, music-filled evening with a good friend—one of those nights you look forward to for weeks. Instead, I left the IP Casino in Biloxi feeling frustrated, hurt, and frankly, a little stunned by how things played out. Discrimination will do that to you. My friend and I had […]
“Can You Train Your Own Service Dog?” Today I have the pleasure of sitting down with Ann Becnel of Ann Becnel Companion Dogs, LLC to talk about all things service dog related. Ann has over twenty years of service dog training experience, and she helped me train my own first service dog, Lexie, many years […]
As I approached the end of high school, I knew two things for certain: I was going to become a professional artist and I was going to college. What I didn’t know was exactly how I was going to get there. I dreamed of attending an art school, immersing myself in a creative environment that […]
Among the colorful creations in my exhibition Off the Hook: A Journey Beneath the Waves, one piece stands out for its personality and playful charm. My pufferfish painting is aptly titled Blow Me a Kiss. It was on display last year at the West Baton Rouge Museum and was an absolute joy to create. It captures the whimsical essence […]
I’m excited to share my one of my latest watercolor paintings with you all! This one is special—it’s a bit larger than the pieces I typically work on, and it features a subject that’s both elegant and familiar: a mallard duck. Painting “Calcasieu” was a rewarding challenge, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out. […]
Art has always been a refuge for me—a world where the limitations of my body are replaced by the limitless possibilities of creativity. Living with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (also known as Brittle Bone Disease), I often found myself unable to participate in activities many kids my age enjoyed. Sports like soccer or football were simply off the table, and […]
As you can see from my shirt, I love country music! It’s a passion I’ve carried with me since childhood. My journey into the world of country music wasn’t inspired by my parents but rather by two aides who cared for me when I was very young. When I was around three to five years […]
