About Me

I am a painter, a musician, and a lover of arts, community, and culture. But, I think all of that stems from my passion for beauty. Beauty, whether through nature, music, or art, is a powerful and mysterious force which lives in direct connection to that something beyond us. When we see, hear, or experience deep beauty, something stirs up within us, something that really cannot be explained.

For three years I studied Classical Painting at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. My world there revolved around beauty, which Italy has so reverently deemed sacred for centuries. I used to feel a sense of shame for being interested in realism. I was hypnotized by the lie that realist painters aren’t creative or that we’re selfish; we envy the beauty of nature so much that we attempt to claim her graceful identity as our own. Then the credit for her magnificence is ours. The more I observed from life and began to notice nature’s patterns, behaviors, and nuances, the more I came to realize what a skewed mindset this is. I’ve fallen in love with nature exactly the way she is. Realist artists simply love to observe so intently, depict it as they see it, and so draw attention to their favorite things about the world that already exists around us.

I will continue to explore all that captures my attention. My ultimate dream would be to be able to curate authentic artworks that serve the community as they explore the universal human experiences; both the hard and tender truths of life. But for now consider me an observer and a journalist who is delighted to share her findings with you.

Michaela