I am inspired by the everyday art, artists, languages, thoughts, colors, comments, jokes, news headlines, memories, music, motivations and silences. Having studied art, and now teaching it, I have had the experiences needed in order to develop my philosophies about the creation of art as a viewer, a collector, a student, an advocate and a practitioner. I believe in art for art's sake. I believe in the power of creativity. I believe that you must first know the rules before you can break them. I believe that artists who become complacent are at risk of failing themselves as much as the viewers. Exhale Series:My series of "Exhale" drawings focus on the relationship between the artist and the process. Each freehand line is conducted for the length of one exhale and mimics the previous line. Beginning with the straightest freehand line possible, the "waves" begin to take shape as minor imperfections or bumps in one line are exaggerated through the following lines. One at a time: no jumping ahead and no going back, but always moving forward. Each line, one breath.