bio

Bio

Home Artist Statement Current and Recent Exhibits Thumbnails Art Portfolio Recent Projects Contact Me

No one ever believes me at first when I tell them I'm from Texas, but I was born and raised in Houston, even if the accent hardly ever slips out. I attended SJS from 8th grade through senior year except for my junior year abroad in Zaragoza,

Spain

. In Spain, I encountered my passion for languages, traveling, living in foreign countries, and being among different cultures. In 2000 I moved to NYC where I attended NYU. I graduated magna cum laude in May '04 with a degree in Romance Languages and a minor in Art History. I completed the Masters portion of my MA/BA degree through the Institute of French Studies at NYU in January '05. During my time at NYU, I studied in Madrid, Paris (twice) and Dakar, Senegal.

While pursuing my academic career, I have been very serious about my artistic life as well. I sold paintings throughout the years as well as exhibited some of my batiks and glasswork in Senegal. Each year during my undergraduate studies, I presented my work at art shows at NYU and Columbia. Participating in my first public art exhibit in New York in October 2003, I showed my work at a film festival commemorating the Zapatista movement in the Americas. I also painted in front of an audience at a Día de los Muertos celebration the same year.

However, my first break came in January 2004 when I exhibited my work at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center as part of the Exploration: Discovering Cultural Diversity through Art exhibit. I then held my first solo show at Fatty's Cafe in Astoria, Queens for two months in Fall '04 to a favorable reception. I spent the summer of 2005 volunteering in Oaxaca, Mexico as a translator to a local museum, an English teacher, and the creator of my most ambitious artistic project yet, an 8' by 11' billboard mural for the town of San Martin Huamelulpam that is now erected on the freeway.

I returned to Latin America in the summer of 2006, working as a project supervisor in Pernambuco, Brazil. While working on a water education and cistern construction project, I was in charge of finding host families, setting up meal plans, getting necessary supplies, taking care of health needs, conducting town meetings etc in several towns.

In 2005, I moved to the Bay Area where I had my first show at the Linen Life Park Avenue gallery in Emeryville. I then started an ongoing project in 2006 that culminated with a tri-city fundraiser called Art for Darfur in Spring '07. I hope to raise awareness about the atrocities committed against people as well as raise funds to help civilians have access to basic necessities without living in fear for their lives. I am currently preparing for the Oakland Art and Soul Festival (Aug 30-Sept 1) where I will sell art work and continue to contribute to my fundraising efforts.

I have also joined another ongoing project that took me to Liverpool in July 2008 where I created art for a traveling show that seeks to bring artists together from all over the world to tackle problems that affect us all. There, I showed a few of my pieces in the International Gallery on Slater St. The second phase of this project was to paint alongside other artists to contribute to a massive installation that will be inaugurated in the Blackie in Liverpool in September before moving to London, Grahamstown (South Africa), Istanbul, Guadalajara, and back to London in time for the 2012 Cultural Olympics.

In the meantime, I have completed the third year of my doctoral studies in the French department at Berkeley where I am studying Romance Languages and Linguistics and interested in how identity affects second language acquisition. I want my work to help immigrant populations who struggle with learning the language of their new country as well as to affect language planning policy, making sure that those without a voice are heard. I also hope that my graduate studies will give me plenty of opportunities to travel. My goal is to always have visited more countries than years I've been alive. So far, I have reached 30 countries.

I hope these experiences will continue to inspire me and help me express myself though art. I am also enjoying my opportunity to learn as many languages as possible. I am fluent in French and Spanish, conversationally fluent in Portuguese and Italian, and I have a good grasp of Latin. If pressed, I can get by in Wolof. These language skills help me get to know and understand many cultures around the world. Opening doors leads to opening minds, and ultimately, I want my art to open everyone's mind to the vast beauty that exists in the world.

I feel extremely blessed for all the opportunities I have had. I thank my parents for all their support and love, my brother for always keeping me smiling, and my wonderful friends, here and abroad. Y'all are the reason that I continue to want to grow and learn more. Oh, and I mustn't forget my six-toed cat. I really don't know why I'm thanking her but she deserves mentioning, mainly because of the six-toed thing.

Updated July 2008

Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpLIx9p0umE

Life Surrounding the Artist