The Knoxstar

I am influenced by growing up going to the Re-en Faire scene and sci fi cons. I up-cycle a lot of my materials from scraps, toss aways, and project excess. I mainly work in steel, wood, and leather. Through a lot of wanderings have developed a large tool set in making art happen. I have: helped run a open mic poetry night for 8 years (Women In the Life Poetry Series in DC), worked in theater as an assistant prop designer and as an assistant costume designer, became a welder in Long Island (MIG), local stage crew in DC (for traveling shows)... eventually moved to Sacramento, CA and added to my collection of Associate Degrees (General Studies and ASL as a Second Language from Montgomery Community College, Rocklin, MD, as well as one in Welding from ARC in Los Rios, CA). While in Sacramento I became a part of Hacker Lab a maker/co-working space in the Midtown area. This is where I was able to teach an intro to metal shop tools and an intro to GMAW/MIG Welding class during the covid pandemic through a CARES program for designing and advancing PPE. I also achieved a grant from Sacramento State University for my work entitled If Only... a self portrait in wood, spray paint, and gold leaf. I coupled this with a QR code that linked to a video I made for this occasion of my poem Mixed Pride, as a deeper view into the person in the portrait in a 'choose your own adventure' opportunity.