The media is constantly bombarding us with sad, violent and depressing images. I want to counter those images with big, bright, happy, peaceful images that make you smile. Everyone seems to be in search of happiness nowadays and I think a big piece of that puzzle is choosing to be exposed to images that are positive, images that make you smile. I create art as an antidote to negativity.
Since I was little I've wanted to be an astronaut. This plan lasted throughout university (I have a Biology degree from Brown University). While at university I had a lot of friends from RISD, an art school nearby. I would study my neuroscience textbooks while they painted, sculpted, printed, etc. I loved the science I was learning but I was also in awe of their completely different university experience. I was spending all my time in labs, they were spending all their time in studios. That lifestyle was so foreign to me and also extremely interesting. Like a studio, a lab can be a very creative and fun place but there is something about the spontaneous creativity of a studio that stayed with me.
My plan to become an astronaut was still first priority until I took a trip to Japan. It was during that trip to Japan that I realized there were exciting and wonderful worlds to discover right here on Earth. As soon as I graduated, instead of applying to NASA, I decided to travel the world. My home has been in many countries across the globe.
While living in Barcelona, I fell in love with the way the city lives and breathes art. So, one day I spontaneously went into a little corner art store and bought a blank canvas, a few paintbrushes and an acrylic starter set. I went back to my apartment to give it a go - and loved it! I was painting constantly and sometimes would be so into it that the sun would come up and I would realize I forgot to sleep. I was able to finally explore that studio/art world that I had been fascinated by years earlier but had thought was unattainable. After those two years spent painting daily in Barcelona, I became an artist.
I still consider myself a scientist too. Art and Science are both parts of who I am and I think that my science background positively influences my artwork. Many express surprise at the switch from science to art, but I believe that art and science complement each other beautifully. So, in a way, I am an astronaut after all because I discover, create and explore new worlds of my own. My studio is full of tins, jars, souvenirs, boxes, toys, papers, postcards, illustrations, books, photos and many other items I've collected during my travels. All are sources of inspiration for my work. I draw on paper or canvas and sometimes use my computer to combine my paintings, drawings and photography. I have created logos and freelance illustrations for various companies and publications in Europe and the US.
My artwork has been exhibited, featured and is in collections around the world:
Illustrations- Por La Ventana Art Publication, San Juan, Puerto Rico 2006.
Featured Artist - WeddingsIreland.ie, Ireland June 2007
Movable Mural - Ladyfest Art Exhibition, Cork, Ireland 2008.
Illustrations - My Very Own Picture, Dublin, Ireland 2008
Featured illustrator - Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators UK March-May 2008.
Collage - Temple Bar Chocolate Festival, Dublin, Ireland 2009.
lllustration - Prudence Magazine, Dublin Ireland Sept/October 2009.
Paintings- Smithfield Gallery, Dublin 2007-2009
Featured artist - Kidoinfo.com, USA - May 2011
Holiday Gift Guide- Brown Alumni Magazine- November/December 2013
Interview-Rhode Island Monthly Magazine- December 2013
Featured Artist- I Heart Rhody- September 2014
Small Business Saturday - ABC6 News - December 2014
PVD Lady Project Gift Guide- The Rhode Show - December 2014
El Nuevo Dia - Tulipan, la jirafa puertorriqueña December 2014
Featured Artist- Providence Monthly 2015
Giraffes and Robots products are sold at the following retail stores:
Framed prints and canvas prints- Providence Picture Frame Gallery
Prints, postcards and T-Shirts, along with pieces from her collaborative collage project with Ada H, a collage artist, are for sale at Homestyle Interiors.
Pop Art Portraits, Paper Prints, Postcards, T-Shirts and Illustrations on Canvas are for sale at Hope Returns.
Prints, postcards, canvas bags and Copper Rockets jewelry are for sale at White Buffalo
Chicken and Rooster prints at CLUCK!
Kitchen ART / Dublin Brunch prints at Stock Culinary Goods.
Dinosaur, Science and many more at Pie in the Sky.
Dog ART prints at The Cheeky Hound.
Mini Prints and Tulipan books at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico.
Mini prints and Tulipan books at Museo de las Americas.
Tulipan books available at:
Poet’s Passage, Old San Juan
La Tertulia, Old San Juan
Aparicio Distributors, Bayamon
Museo Las Americas, Old San Juan
Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Santurce
Arlequin Gift Shop, Caribbean Towers, Miramar
