Elegant Easel

05/29/2026

05/22/2026

July will mark my first solo art exhibition, titled Able in CU ✨

For this exhibition, I will be creating new charcoal portraits of disabled individuals within the CU community. Able in CU is a collaborative project with Developmental Services Center (DSC), and our goal is to share the voices, experiences, and stories of the disability community.

Today’s portrait features George W. Over time, his mobility issues gradually worsened, and he now uses mobility aids such as crutches to help him navigate long days. However, this has never stopped him from doing the things he loves most. As a member of the disability community, George believes accessibility remains one of the biggest obstacles to achieving greater understanding and respect among people. He wants others to know that having a disability and using crutches does not define his limits. He believes he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to.

Come experience Able in CU this July and witness powerful stories told through portraiture. 🤍

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, 40 North | 88 West, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

*official poster coming soon*

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05/18/2026

I’m so excited to finally share that I’ve been accepted for a grant partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, 40 North | 88 West, and the National Endowment for the Arts! ✨

With this generous support, I’m able to bring to life my first solo exhibition centered around a project I’ve always wanted to create.

This project, called Able in CU, will feature 8 portrait illustrations of individuals within the Champaign-Urbana community who have disabilities and want to share their stories. These portraits will be on display at Discover Self Community’s (DSC) Crow at 110.

The goal of Able in CU is to highlight the diverse experiences and identities of people with disabilities in our community while helping individuals feel seen, valued, and represented. Through creativity and storytelling, I hope this project encourages dialogue across different backgrounds and demonstrates the power of a community united through art.

By interviewing and collaborating with local individuals across a range of disabilities, I will create meaningful portraits that reflect their personal stories and how they want to be represented. Ultimately, I hope to create a space where individuals with disabilities feel a stronger sense of belonging within the Champaign-Urbana community.

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue growing as an artist and to have support for my creative journey. Opportunities like this remind me why I keep creating and sharing my work.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support my art and my small business, Elegant Easel. Every kind word, share, purchase, and interaction truly means so much to me. 💕

More updates during the week; like Facebook event, updates on the portraits and more!

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there and even the pet moms! 💕

Today is about celebrating everyone who loves and cares for others in a motherly way… so from one cat mom of four to another, Happy Mother’s Day! 🐾

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05/05/2026

“Monolith”, 2026

I have always been drawn to portraiture; my favorite muse is my own feelings and anatomy. And this time, I’m interested in how metaphor can hold the attention of a viewer. This is my first self-portrait without a physical body, relying instead on symbolism and atmosphere.

In this piece, a field of dying sunflowers sits beneath a dry thunderstorm, evoking tension, discomfort, and pressure. The limited palette of burnt sienna, black, and white, reflects a draining of life and energy. The absence of color is intentional; it heightens the sense of depletion and emotional weight.

Sunflowers are often associated with resilience, endurance, and the ability to thrive in difficult conditions. Here, that expectation is challenged. The field has withered.

In the distance, a break in the sky allows light to emerge, and one sunflower still stretches toward it. Plants reach for light instinctively, but when deprived for too long, they cannot return to their original state. There is a cost to survival.

As a disabled artist, this reflects my experience creating within a demanding, fast-paced capitalist structure one that asks for constant output I cannot sustainably match. The act of reaching becomes both necessary and damaging.

The monolith represents that force: something vast, distant, and unyielding whether it be expectation, productivity, or the idea of success itself.

I am the sunflower, fading, but still reaching.

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05/01/2026

Happy May 🌸✨

My birthday month is here, and I’m stepping into it with intention. I will keep growing, keep reflecting, and honor every version of myself that brought me here. Each year adds new layers, new lessons, and new softness.

I’m still learning, still becoming, still flourishing, like my painting “tierra generosa” (generous earth) 🌿

Here’s to a month of gentle strength, quiet growth, and blooming in my own time.

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04/24/2026

Need a cozy place to relax and study? ✨

Look no further than ! I was recently invited to share my artwork in their community space for members to enjoy in such a welcoming environment, and what feels more welcoming than whimsical cat home illustrations? 🐈🏡

If you’d love to bring one of these limited edition 16x20 framed prints into your own collection, they’re also available for purchase. Purrfect for bringing a little warmth and whimsy into your own productivity space at home. 💛

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04/13/2026

Three days, three different booth setups at the ONE MAIN ART GROUP! ✨

Boneyard Arts Festival Weekend was such a success, and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who hosted me and stopped by to support local artists like myself here in our beautiful Champaign-Urbana community.

It was definitely a bumpy road getting here, being part of multiple venues was very ambitious, but it’s an experience I’ll carry with me as I continue growing and evolving as an artist.

Now it’s time to keep creating 🎀

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