The reason you  became a teacher is… to ‘pay it forward’. Just making art for myself only felt like a dead-end, but sharing my expertise with young artists keeps art alive endlessly. Even after I retire, they can someday share what they learned with their kids.

In my spare time I like to… work in my garden. It’s a little like making art out of nature.

My favorite color is… brown because of all the different tints, shades, and tones. It’s a color that’s often underrated, but I find it classy, like leather.

The difference between me and many other teachers is… every day in the art room, we’re at the top of Bloom’s taxonomy: “Creating.”

My favorite perfume/cologne is… nothing too strong. Being subtle is key, a little here & there; make it part of your ‘fit, not thrown on top like an afterthought.

The best piece of advice I could give a student is… try. You don’t have to be the best, but don’t fail before you start by not even trying.

If I won a million dollars I would… try to find a problem and solve it. Money can’t solve everything, but if I can help someone out, like a family in need, then I’d feel good about using it that way.

My dream is to… enjoy life. I know that sounds cliche, but there’s really so many things people don’t know they enjoy until they have the time to try them out. Slowing down and trying to take life in is a lost art.

If I were an animal I would be a… maybe a dog, because everyone loves a dog, but a unique breed like a Dalmation.

You recently just earned your Master’s degree in Art. How was the program, and in what way do you think earning this degree made you a better artist and a better teacher?

The Master’s program was very rigorous. It felt like every spare moment outside of HHS was spent working on graduate studies, even during some summers. It made me a better artist in my technical skill, but also made me a better teacher because I found something from every course I took that was valuable to share in my classes.