My Artist Statement

Art, empowerment, inspiration, and healing from my heart to yours. A shared vulnerable space that honors the tender space in both of us. May you find peace and comfort that you are not alone in your journey. Together we rise.

I create art for many reasons. This quote from Pablo Picasso sums it up... "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls."

*Hello, Dear ones!*
I am so glad that you are traveling alongside me on this path we call life. Sometimes the challenges and struggles we face can be overbearing and we need a little art, color, a touch of whimsy, and an empathetic heart to listen and guide us. Holding onto the weight of our emotions caused by the difficult situations of life can quickly become too heavy for us to carry and weigh our spirits down. I hope that my art can provide joy and inspiration on your journey and that the healing services I provide will allow you to unburden your heart, root yourself in divine love, and release the emotions/situations that are stifling your spirit and weighing on your heart.

*Please feel free to reach out with any questions. I look forward to walking alongside you and providing a gentle space for healing that is rooted in love and understanding.*
*With Love and Light,*
*Toni*

My artist statement…

The power of connection through art allows each of us to see one another, encourage and support one another, and gives a gentle space for healing. This very sentence motivates and drives me as an artist and as a healing artist. I love that art has the ability to reach across unspeakable boundaries and break barriers. I see this when I am selling my art, using art to facilitate healing and conversation with the individuals I serve through coaching and healing art sessions, and when I am facilitating playshops.

I am a self-taught, multi-media, intuitive artist who creates whimsy art inspired by everyday life, nature, and the events of the present moment. Art is my way of interpreting and processing life's situations, a way to navigate my emotions, and an interpretation of my connection with the world around me. I also intuitively interpret the answers I seek with my creative process. I am inspired most by nature which can be seen in a lot of the work I do. My other sources of inspiration are music, culture, people, and bright vibrant colors. I believe in the power of color as a vehicle for healing and a lot of my work has bold, bright colors with the intention of invoking feelings of empowerment, happiness, and inspiration. When creating my healing art tools (self-love boxes and hand-bound journals) I utilize the colors of the chakra system with the intention for healing. Each love box contains messages of empowerment or actions to deepen self-care and self-love. The bright colors of the chakra system are painted around the self-love box and together with the empowering messages and actions of self-love provide the beginning of healing for the individual. The hand-bound journals I create have colorful papers, each color of the chakra system, along with mixed media and acrylic paper to facilitate dreaming and healing through various art forms- painting, drawing, collaging, and writing. Each painting I create has the seven colors of the chakra system incorporated in one way or another. Either peeking through the bottom layers or brightly displayed in the top layer.

Beyond creating art for myself, I am a healing artist who provides gentle play shops that allow for creative juices to flow through playful expression. Providing a tender space that facilitates creative playfulness allows us to care for ourselves differently, and in this space, we open to self-love through art services. As a healing artist, I love providing a gentle space that allows each person to tap into their unique voice and find the power of creativity. Through this tender facilitation, a portal is opened and the flow of creativity is seen and tapped into. Creating art has provided a loving space for me to connect with myself, transform, and process the hurts of life. It is my pleasure, to use art as a therapeutic service with others in a tender space facilitating creative practices to process life's journey.

In one form or another, I have used art to heal. As a little girl with the intention of feeling better, I turned to my drawing paper. It's there, I found comfort and healing scratching out little drawings and doodles. As an adolescent, in moments of hurt and pain, I turned to the piano or my tenor saxophone leaving my drawing paper behind, the melodic notes soothing my soul and spirit. I stopped drawing and playing music for many years, but in 2002 while experiencing a great loss, my dear mother stepped in to help me heal. She decided to enroll me in a simple beading class that we could do together. Little did I know that her loving gift would lead me back on a path of creation, not only in times of healing but also in times of joy. Art has been a vehicle of healing, self-discovery, transformation, and finding my voice. It has been in the quiet moments of creation, I have connected so deeply with my inner self and the divine. With that deep connection, came resistance, fear, and self-doubt, but it also brought the deepest love, joy, and gratitude I have ever experienced, its healing power more than I can place into words. It has taken me a long time to realize that I should stop wrestling with myself and resisting the path I have been called to do and surrender. I've experienced uncomfortable gifts that have cracked me open and taught me to accept these gifts and trust the process, surrendering to the idea that I am only a small vessel trying to help those around me through art.

The situations of life have provided me with many challenges and opportunities for growth. I have been using art as a vehicle for my own grief and emotional healing since childhood. I’ve been in the field of mental health and substance abuse for 25+ years and incorporated art and writing into my sessions to assist the individuals I provided services to. Over the years I have utilized my formal training in nursing school to assess each individual’s needs to provide healing art services holistically and the experience I have gained in my field of work.

Formal training/schooling:

2019, Reiki I & II Certification

2013, Reiki I Certification

1997, Associates Degree in Applied Sciences: Nursing

Artist Resume

Selected Art Exhibits:

2022 Spring Arts on Market, Chapel Hill, NC, group exhibition

Spring Southbound Craft Fair, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Holiday Ardmore Artwalk, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Whimsical Women Fall Art Show, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

2021 Ardmore Artwalk, group exhibition

Whimsical Women Fall Art show, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

2020 Ardmore Artwalk, group exhibition

2019 Whimsical Women Fall Art show, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

NC Big Pour Craft Beverage Festival, group exhibition

Gallery Pop Up at Jasper & Fern, solo exhibition

Presenter on healing and wellness through art at Mixxer, art show among fellow presenters and artists, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

2018 Krankies Craft Fair, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Whimsical Women Fall Art show, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

2017 Krankies Craft Fair, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Whimsical Women Fall Art Show, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Winter Hops & Shop, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Fall Hops & Shop, Winston Salem, NC group exhibition

Peace, Love, & Muddy Creek, Pfafftown, NC, group exhibition

Olde Mill Market (Fall), Lewisville, NC, group exhibition

Angelo’s Artisan Market (fall), Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Foothill’s Hops & Shop, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Spring Cork’s & Crafts at Westbend Winery, Lewisville, NC, group exhibition

Olde Mill Market (Spring), Lewisville, NC, group exhibition

Angelo’s Artisan Market (spring), Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Hops & Shop Spring market, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

2016 Whimsical Women Fall Art Show, Pfafftown, NC, group exhibition

Gateway Gallery, group exhibition

Hops & Shop: Winter Craft, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Holiday Pop Up, solo exhibition

Whimsical Women Fall Art Show, group exhibition

Hops & Shop: Fall Flea, Winston Salem, NC, group exhibition

Red Dog Gallery, Winston Salem, NC, Cracked Open, solo exhibition

2015 Krankies Craft Fair, group exhibition

Whimsical Women Fall Art Show, Pfafftown, NC, group exhibition