Artist Statement
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, I grew up surrounded by the arts.
My father is a successful painter who immigrated to the USA from Cuba to pursue his work, so a huge part of growing up for me was spent in his studio after school while my mother worked downtown as a lawyer. It was there I first learned about creation as an artist.
At his gallery openings, I was always the only child, sitting on the only bench, with the only cup filled with water instead of a smooth cabernet, and I would watch the adults look at my father’s work and talk to each other about what they saw in it.
This was most peculiar to me because I was around these paintings all day every day and had my own ideas on what they were; even though my father didn’t tell me himself, I was a very self-assured child.
Consequentially, I started to understand how art could spark conversation and bring people together.
And I loved it.
However, another part of life that I was enthralled with was softball. Starting at 6 years old playing T-Ball, year round tournament softball was everything to me. I was a starting catcher and middle infielder and grew as a person and player alongside the teams of strong young women that I played with. That said, it left very little time for any other activity that was as big of a commitment.
It wasn’t until high school that I joined drama club and a new love was introduced…
You knew I really loved performing when my first show ever was The Pirates of Penzance and I still fell head over heels for every part of the experience. Ever since then, I’ve learned to take the artistry and community from my experiences in life and apply them to my work as a performer, educator, and creative.