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Where the most common places become uncommon
Born in Monrovia-Liberia, I lived in Las Palmas de Gran Canaries, Spain, and Lebanon with my beloved parents and siblings. Each country's mix of traditions significantly influences my design, art, and deep appreciation for culture and people.
My vocation for drawing began at the early age of 12 while sheltered from war. Once my grandfather's cowshed, the bunker we moved into was musky with deep stone walls to keep us safe from explosions. After we all shared a meal with the thirty or more family members, I sat upright, cross-legged, with a sketchpad and pencil on my lap. Complete darkness around me; my family members propped against each other, surrounded by extensive stone walls, and rested on rugged grounds.
Days and nights pass. Our underground bunker became our security as battles raged over our heads. On one of those many nondescript nights of waiting, I sat up in the darkness and began sketching--blindly pressing pencil to paper. I visualized images, and then I drew them. Only when the light of day allowed a glimpse did I discover what I had created by creeping on the deep, uneven steps where sunlight silently shone. These sketches, my morning discoveries, became my peaceful escape.
With our safety still threatened, we emigrated to Las Palmas de Gran Canaries. Family, friends, teachers, and classmates first recognized my talent. In 1982, I attended The British School of Gran Canaries, where my art teacher, John Leeke, saw potential in my sketches. With his years of encouragement, I majored in Graphic Design and minored in Painting and Drawing at Lebanese American University.
At age 21 and with two partners, I proudly established my first graphic agency, handling major local and global accounts. After exiting in 1999, I settled in Texas with my husband and started a beautiful family; my two daughters' creativity and love for exploration fueled much of my work. In 2005, I pursued Painting and Drawing through the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Significant influences on my work stem from the Fauvist and German Expressionism eras.
From the confines of my childhood bunker to the global junctures, my narrative unfolds as a testament to the profound connection between artistic expression and the threads that bind us all. As I continue to discover the delicate relationships of nature, my art intrinsically aligns with a fundamental reality: we are all connected. (Link to video I AM YOU video)
Click here for more about my upbringing.
Exhibitions
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November 2024-January 2025, Beyond Boundaries, Richardson, TX
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November 2024, Members Show, Lewisville, TX
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October-November 2024, Own Your Story; Write Your Ending, Dallas, TX
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September- October 2024, Fresh Ideas 24, Juror Amy Werntz, Lewisville, TX
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June-July 2024, National Open Juried Exhibition at the Providence Art Club, Providence, RI
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February 2024, LA ART Show, California
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October 2023, Florence Biennale, Italy
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August 2023, 50 AND OVER, Las Laguna Art Gallery, CA
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October 2022, The Other Art Fair, Dallas
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March 2022-Corporate exhibition at HEXA
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October 2020, Virtual Art Exhibition, Welcoming Week 2020, Creating Home Together, Central Texas Office for Refugees partnered with the City of Austin and the Austin Refugee Roundtable.
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June 2019, Children Uprooted: The Journey to Dallas, The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture and UNICEF, Dallas
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October 2017, Solo-Show: Reflections, The Eisemann Center, Richardson-Texas
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October 2016 - January 2017, Reflecting on Water, The Grove, Dallas-Texas
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October 2016, Frisco ArtSeen Tour, Frisco-Texas
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October 2016, McKinney Arts First Annual, Eldorado Country Club, McKinney-Texas
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May 2015, Repainting Nepal, Dallas-Texas
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April-May 17, 2015, 30th Annual Texas & Neighbors Regional Art Exhibition, Irving
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April 2015, IN3, TVAA Gallery, Plaza of the Americas, Dallas-Texas
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September 2014, One Arts Plaza, Dallas Arts District, Dallas-Texas
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September 2014, Driven to Abstraction, TVAA Downtown Gallery, Dallas-Texas
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May 2014, Unique by Nature Juried Art Competition and Exhibit, MPAC, McKinney
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April 2014, Arts in Bloom, McKinney-TX
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November 3, 2013, McKinney Artist Studio Tour
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August 2013, SECOND SATURDAY- ARTIST RECEPTION, McKinney
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May 2013, Unique by Nature Juried Art Competition and Exhibit, MPAC, McKinney
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April 2013, Arts in Bloom, Mckinney, TX
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November 2012 Citation Show, PFAMily Arts, Plano-Texas
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November 2012 McKinney Artist Studio Tour, McKinney-TX
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April 2012, The 27th Annual Texas & Neighbors competition, Irving Arts Center Main Gallery, Texas
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February 2012, Rendezvous with Reflections, Orisons, McKinney TX
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November 2011, McKinney Art Studio Tour (MAST), Texas
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September 2011, Agora Gallery, Chelsea_NY
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March 2011, The 47th Annual Collin County Art Show, Heard-Craig Gallery, McKinney-TX
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February 2011 till present, Main Show, Oxide Gallery, Denton-TX
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November 2010, National Juried Exhibition & AWA Master Signature and Signature Member Show, Southwest Gallery, Dallas-TX
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July 2010, Great Escapes, collective exhibit, Oxide Gallery, Denton-TX
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July 2010, Annual 125-mile Visual Arts Exhibition, Texas Woman’s University, Denton-TX
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May 2010, Collective Exhibit with Irving Art Associations, Irving-TX
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October 2009, Solo Show at Eisemann Center, Richardson-TX
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March 2009, Caladan Gallery, Boston, MA
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May 2009, Academy of Art University Spring Show, San Francisco-CAL
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May 2008, Academy of Art University Spring Show, San Francisco-CAL
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May 2007, Academy of Art University Spring Show, San Francisco-CAL
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May 2006, Academy of Art University Spring Show, San Francisco-CAL
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April 2008, 42nd Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition, VACD, Dallas-TX
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March 2008, 42nd Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Eisemann Center, Plano-TX
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2006, THE ARTS Gallery at CCCCD, Spring Creek Campus, Plano-TX
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2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, Plano Art Association Members Show, Plano Municipal Center, TX
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2001, Lennox Café Art Show (Corporate), Plano-TX
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2000, Theme (Food) Art Show, Whole Foods Market, Plano-TX
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2000, Plano Art Association Members Show, Plano Municipal Center, TX
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1998, Annual Watercolor Juried Art Exhibition, Marriot Hotel, Beirut-Lebanon
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1994, Ministry of Environment Art Competition, The Carlton Hotel, Beirut-Lebanon
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1994, Goethe Institute Environmental Art Show, Beirut-Lebanon
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1992, American University of Beirut Environmental Art Show, Beirut-Lebanon
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1991, Lebanese American University Annual Art, Beirut-Lebanon