“My creative medium is design. It isn’t fine art, but the ability to envision putting different colors and shapes and textures together. I think people have this pre-judgment about me that all I do is mid-century — and I love mid-century, my house is mid-century — but when I did the 8th Street house, I didn’t design it as mid-century. I designed it eclectically, with lots of small touches because that fit the style of the home. So I would consider my favorite styles to be eclectic and maximalism, which is just a bunch of different styles and a lot of colors.
I’ve been an appraiser for 20 years now. I’ve always had this passion for design. I’ve remodeled four kitchens in the past six years, and there’s just nothing like watching it all come together. To express this in an artistic way it’s like a painter’s last brush stroke on a masterpiece. It’s this wonderful, satisfying feeling. In 2015 and 2012, when I remodeled the houses I was living in, I had an epiphany about my passion for this work. The first was a rental. I completely remodeled it. It was absolutely darling, and I realized how much fun it was. My friends called it the dollhouse. Even though I was going through a lot of things in my personal life, that project got me through that time. And the house I live in now was my grandfather’s house, and it needed to be completely remodeled. Those two instances have been fulfilling in my adult life.
One of my favorite things about Goshen is the evolving art dynamic here. It’s always been fascinating, and I’ve always wanted to be a part of it. So, as much as possible, I have been participating in volunteer activities in recent years. But I feel the support from the community, a lot of people reaching out to me. Even when I did the first remodel of the dollhouse, I was awarded the beautification award from the historical society. These are all things that gave me little pushes to know I was going in the right direction.”
