ABOUT ME
My work tends to revolve around nostalgia, optimism and CHANGE – good, bad, or otherwise. I paint my feelings, and inspired by the things I worry, daydream, laugh and cry about, am comforted by and endure, from the silly to the downright traumatizing. I love the meditative and sensory experience of working with wax in all forms. Texture and depth are very important aspects of my work, and my work is typically created from a combination of encaustic, cold wax, ink, shellac, pigments, oils, and acrylic. My experience has been a mix of learning how to do things properly while simultaneously experimenting in practices that would most likely result in epic failure – and as a huge fan of “happy accidents,” something I have learned not to worry about.
Why "Curly Tails Studio," you might ask? Well, I have not made a piece of art within my home studio without the company of at least one pug dog since 2006. Seems right to give them some credit.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Occasional Optimist, Kaleid Gallery, San Jose, CA
2018 The Regeneration Show, Kaleid Gallery, San Jose, CA
2011 The Strip, Kaleid Gallery, San Jose, CA
1996 Progression, SJSU Gallery Eight, San Jose, CA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 The Business Card Show, JKR Gallery, Provo, UT
2024 Fused: A Celebration of Encaustic Art, Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA
2024 Cultural Connect: Made In America, Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, TX
2023 Small Works III, Jen Tough Gallery, Artsy (online)
2023 Critters, Jen Tough Gallery, Artsy (online)
2023 The Art of a Story, The Village Theatre Art Gallery, Danville, CA
2023 Convergence: The Intersection of Wax, Color Pigment & Design, The Village Theatre Art Gallery, Danville, CA
2022 Nocturnal, Jen Tough Gallery, Artsy (online)
2022 Salon at the Triton, The Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA
2022 Annual Member Show, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
2022 ConVergence, Morro Bay Art Center, Morro Bay, CA
2021 Small Works II, The Artist Alliance, Santa Fe, NM
2021 100th Anniversary Exhibition, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
2021 Sugar High, The Artist Alliance, Santa Fe, NM
2021 Annual Member Show, The Artist Alliance, Santa Fe, NM
2021 (re)Building, Atlantic Gallery, New York City, NY
2021 Salon at the Triton, The Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA
2021 Altered Book Exhibition, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA
2020 Wax In All Forms, Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA
2020 Altered Book Exhibition, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA
2019 In Gold We Trust National Exhibition, Ashton Gallery at Art on 30th, San Diego, CA
2019 50 States/200 Artists Exhibition, Museum of Encaustic Art, Santa Fe, NM
2019 Snap! 2019, ARC Gallery & Studios, San Francisco, CA
2018 First Annual Artist Showcase, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
2017 Hopeful Darkness, International Encaustic Artists/Atlantic Gallery, New York City, NY
2017 9th Annual 50|50 Show, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, CA
2017 Renegade Fiber, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA
2016 3rd Annual Abstract Catalyst Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, OR
2016 Making Your Mark, International Encaustic Artists/Encaustic Art Institute, Santa Fe, NM
2016 11th Annual Encaustic Invitational: Length x Width x Depth, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ
2016 Beyond the Surface, Surface Design Association/San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, CA
2015 Another Way of Keeping a Diary, International Encaustic Artists/San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, San Luis Obispo, CA
2015 Transformations, Pajaro Valley Arts Council, Watsonville, CA
2015 Tenth Anniversary Show, Encaustic Art Institute, Santa Fe, NM
2014 Grand Opening Exhibition, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
2009 Contemporary Collage: Paper’s Many Forms, Emily Amy Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2009 Inaugural Exhibit, Art Raw Gallery, New York, NY
2008 Paste Up, Ayer Lofts Gallery, Lowell, MA
2008 Treasures, Creative Catalyst (online)
2008 Veni Vedi Veci, Club Six Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 Suite Jesus, 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 Wish You Were Here, Art Dialogue Gallery, Buffalo, NY
2007 Still Life, Creative Catalyst (online)
2006 Wish You Were Here, Art Dialogue Gallery, Buffalo, NY
SELECTED COMMISSIONS & COLLECTIONS
2022 Guest Room Art Licensing of “Reverie No. 1” for display in all Guestrooms, Beacon Grand Hotel, San Francisco, CA
2016 Permanent Collection, Museum of Encaustic Art, Santa Fe, NM
2012 NextSpace, San Jose, CA
2009 Permanent Collection, International Museum of Collage, Assemblage, and Construction, Fort Worth, TX
2009 Permanent Collection, Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, TX
AWARDS
"Echeveria," Second Place, 2016 Beyond the Surface Juried Exhibition, Surface Design Association/San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, CA | Deborah Corsini, Juror
PUBLICATIONS
“Fun Size”, Published by Jen Tough Gallery
“The Encaustic Minimalist,” Daniella Woolf
"Loved to Death" (2009 self-publication, available here)
The Bark Magazine, May 2009
EDUCATION
BS Photography & Graphic Design, San Jose State University
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Women’s Caucus for Art
International Encaustic Artists
Pacific Art League
Encaustic Art Institute
Surface Design Association
National Collage Society
Artist Alliance
REPRESENTATION