What inspires you the most?

I'm inspired by femininity. Although every culture cultivates its own definition of beauty, female sensuality is universal. We see beauty not with our eyes but with our souls. I'm inspired by a mythical sense of feminine power. 

Who are your influences?

My list of influences is wide-ranging. Alphonse Mucha, Frida Kahlo, Glen Keane, Coby Whitmore, and Alberto Vargas are a few of my favorites. I'm drawn to artists whose commercial works spoke to the masses via magazines, posters, and other now-collectible ephemera. 

What is your creative process?

Every image starts with a pencil sketch that I scan and ink digitally. I carefully layer images with collected textures like wood, foliage and aged paper which I photograph myself. 

Who is the girl in your paintings?

This is always a hard one to answer because she isn't one particular person but rather the embodiment of a concept. I asked myself once, if the spirit of "Aloha" had a face, a name, a presence, what would she look like? To me kindness and grace is a woman warmly smiling at you telling you everything's gonna be alright. 

Is it true you still draw with a mouse?!

Ha! Yes, many of my works were created with a good old mouse. I'm a creature of habit and it's the way I taught myself to draw digitally. I've perfected this skill through years of trial and error and I'm actually pretty speedy! I have since moved on to my trusty iPad Pro but still render with a mouse every chance I get ;)

What are your preferred drawing apps or programs? 

My go-tos are Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, and Illustrator.