Growing up in Key West
Growing up on the island of Key West has been an inspiring journey.
I'm a pastor's daughter and one of nine children; my mother home schooled me, affording me plenty of free time to draw and paint, two of my favorite things. Key West has an artistic vibe: not only is it gorgeous and chromatic, but artists from around the world gather here and pool their knowledge. It's easy to feed off that vibe and learn from those artists!
One thing artists here love to depict are conch houses. Cute homes constructed by Bahama immigrants in Key West during the 19th century. They get their name from the conch shell, because people from the Bahamas were said to eat lots of conch meat. As far as I know, I'm the first to paint literal 'conch houses' with the conch shell as the exterior of house. Key West's symbol is the conch shell so it's appropriate! My art has gone on to include conchs transformed into other things, like boats and a sleigh.
I still live in Key West and continue to draw inspiration from its beauty. I live with my husband, Terence, the Key West high school Cross Country coach (team name: The Fighting Conchs) and our two sons, Atticus and Archie.
Thanks for checking out my art!
