Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ava grew up in a family only vaguely interested in the arts. With no early inclination toward painting, she first focused on raising a family and later moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1998. It was there, inspired by the vivid desert light and the creative energy of her surroundings, that Ava’s curiosity for art ignited. What began as a spark quickly grew into a passionate and lifelong pursuit. Over the last fifteen years, Ava has immersed herself in the study of abstract art, working with master artists such as Tamar Kander and Rebecca Crowell. From her earliest days as a painter, she developed a true love for building rich, complex surfaces, merging color and texture with unconventional materials such as earth, lime, marble dust, and plaster of Paris. Currently based at Creative Liberties Studios in Sarasota, Florida, Ava’s work reflects a disciplined dedication to her craft and a deep, intuitive response to human form, memory, and the emotional power of color. Her paintings are held in private collections across the United States, including Arizona, Washington State, and Florida. At Drew Marc Gallery, Ava presents multiple bodies of work that highlight the breadth of her artistic exploration. Her series ranges from highly textural figurative works infused with mixed media and unconventional materials, to flat, abstracted compositions with bold color fields and powerful silhouettes. Artist Statement:My work is a continuous conversation between memory, texture, and the human form. I am drawn to creating surfaces that feel as alive as the stories they suggest, using materials like marble dust, lime, earth, and plaster to build layers of complexity and history into each piece. The physicality of these materials grounds my process, connecting me to something elemental and timeless. Each series I create emerges from a different emotional space. Some pieces focus on figures embedded within dense, tactile layers, while others embrace a flatter approach, balancing form and bold abstraction. Across all of my work, contrast plays a central role: the rough and the smooth, the bold and the subtle, the abstract and the deeply human. Painting for me is an act of intuitive exploration. It is not about recreating a literal world, but about evoking an emotional landscape that feels both personal and universal. Whether through textured silhouettes or vibrant fields of color, my goal is to invite the viewer into a space where memory, emotion, and imagination meet.