It was the second weekend in March 2020 and I left New York City to stay with my parents on Long Island, to then find out we would be stuck at home for longer than expected. Everyone was so conditioned to going out and socializing with friends, no one knew what to do with themselves now that we had to quarantine in our own homes. Next was puzzles, movie nights, family walks, and more at-home activities. But I did not let the boredom take over and took this as an opportunity to try something new that I’ve always dreamed of doing. I had painted a little here and there in high school and college art classes but it was something that had been constantly on my mind. While running CPD, I didn’t have the time to focus on painting. I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to experiment again. I drove to two art stores to pick up some supplies and sketched out some ideas. I painted my first two mini surfboard pieces and experimented with glitter and resin for the first time. I loved it and wanted to make more. However, once I started selling face masks I had less time to paint and put that aside until the summer when I picked it back up again.
In the meantime, I was working with a local boutique, Pink & Honey, to come up with a fun design to paint a mural on the store walls. We knew we wanted it to have pink hearts and a graffiti vibe, so I bought some supplies to practice. August 8th was when my Electric Love design was born. I practiced on some canvas and wood, and shared my progress on Instagram and received a tremendous amount of positive feedback. People were inquiring left and right about purchasing an art piece with my new hearts design. Since then I’ve sold almost 60 commission paintings and painted 4 murals with this design, each one of a kind unique to the customer.
I absolutely love making art, especially commission work. It’s so rewarding when I make a special piece for a customer and they light up with joy when they receive it. I’ve always wanted to make a small collection of work that’s limited edition, with only a limited quantity released. When 2021 came around, this was one of my top goals for the year. I finally decided it was time to break out of my comfort zone and trust my instincts and create this capsule collection. I first painted one camouflage happy face piece and shared some behind the scenes on my Instagram and received such positive reviews. I then got to work planning out the launch, ordered supplies, and started creating. Hours and hours of painting later my Choose Happy collection came to life!
I love to create art that makes others smile, and that is the true meaning behind my "Choose Happy" Collection. Happy is a feeling of joy, pleasure, or good fortune. I am a strong believer that you should strive to do what makes you happy in life. Happiness doesn’t just come to you. You can make changes in your life that will put you on a path to a happier life. As my first ever art capsule collection I created this with the idea that happiness is contagious. When you look at these happy faces, my hope is that it makes you smile and think positive thoughts. That optimism can be infectious, and you should spread it onto others.
