I feel so blessed with the ability to create art, and how it has become a part of my journey through my life. My thoughts take me back when I enjoyed art class in grammar school and then in the blink of the eye I was a parent working for a living in the oil field trying to support two children and myself, needless to say I had no time for art because I was living a wild life spiraling out of control, and struggling with mental illness symptoms, which I was unaware of at the time. Then I was given a mental illness diagnosis and have been undergoing outpatient treatment ever since, with a number of setbacks over the years. While I was coping with problems I started doodling with pencil and paper and eventually taught myself how to draw, I remember how excited I was and how much I wanted to be an artist. And I faced the disappointment of criticism early on, but I continued to draw, and found a artist who took a interest in my work and was given the opportunity to paint with oils and showed me the basics of how to create a landscape, this was in 2011 and I continue to create, but primarily abstract paintings. Artwork has played a important part of my recovery journey and I am forever grateful.