Watts Art 2015

I live in a small town outside of Phoenix, Arizona, with my husband, our two adult children (21 and 18), one dog, and many chickens... 18, I think. It can be hard to keep track. 😂

I create as often as I can, alongside my teaching career. I taught art for 11 years and now teach kindergarten, where I've been for the past five. I love my job, but I can't wait to retire in three years and devote more time to my art. A fun fact: my own children attended the school where I teach, and I even had the joy of being their art teacher! My favorite mediums are acrylic and watercolor, and I love creating assemblages—especially giving old and forgotten things new life. The objects I use are often more than just found objects; they are collected and treasured things: a watch face from my brother, an old key from my father-in-law, a piece of jewelry from my grandmother... you get the idea. And sometimes, they're simply objects that caught my eye and looked more like hidden treasures to me.

Someone once told me that my deepest artistic instinct is one of preservation. The more I think about it, the more I believe it's true. I preserve moments, beauty, words, and memories. I preserve little forgotten objects because something inside me believes they deserve another chance to mean something.

Over the years, I've sold work at art walks and online, completed commissions and a couple of murals, and have had my work exhibited in several galleries.

I don't think I create with one particular style or medium in mind. Instead, I follow what catches my attention—a color, a texture, a photograph, a found object, a memory—and see where it leads. Whether I'm painting, layering, or building an assemblage, I'm always looking for the beauty and possibility in the things around me.

My hope is that when someone looks at my work, they might pause for a moment, see something they hadn't noticed before, and perhaps find a little piece of their own story within it.