BIO

My art seeks to find the beauty in the broken, and discarded. Having been discarded by my evangelical family for being queer as a three dollar bill, and refusing to accept that it was wrong, my life became dominated by fantasy as an escape from the tyranny, and brutality. It allowed me to fight for my place because I had a safe world to escape to.

I moved to NYC in 1990 and became a regular in the night club scene under the guise of Anna Conda. My naive determination never knew fear, only the desire to meet the challenges of "fame", the trappings of excess associated even with minor "fame", and began to develop a sense of self worth. Then in 1993 I tested positive for AIDS. My diagnosis was read to me over the phone, telling me without insurance they couldn't help, and my mother sent me a get well card with a ten dollar check. This was my turning point

I moved to San Francisco, had my third and final suicide attempt, and started making art from the tubes, and monitors, that had been attached to my body. I was poor so I collected what was around me and began making art. I was the inaugural artist of the New Black Pop Up gallery, I continued to make art randomly, as I ran a drag show called Charlie Horse, and had a career in politics after running for office, served as president of the Harvey Milk Club, and as Co-Chair of the SF Entertainment Commission, while attending City College to study anthropology. After leaving an abusive 7 year relationship I moved in with a hoarder, and began creating art as a way of cleaning the yard, and house. The making of art seemed to fit my everyday need to process the great freedom I found in the new thoughts and understandings I found in my studies.

When I moved to Sacramento for my undergrad and graduate degrees in Cultural Anthropology my art practice grew, becoming a integral part of my healing daily practice. I was shown often at stores in the area and at many galleries. After a few years of this I knew my life long dream of being:"an Artist" were coming true. Moved to Pittsburgh in 2019 to make art my reality.

I moved into the Spinning Plate Artist Lofts and hit the road running. I have show at several First Friday events, had three self curated group shows with other residents and my first solo show "This is Garbage", a well received installation show where 80% of my work sold. I have recently joined the Fiber Arts Guild of Pittsburgh and am adding a stronger finish to my work. I am embracing the craft element that appears in my work, now that I have learned more about art, art history, and grown in understanding that drag was for me performance art. In other words I have always been working as an artist, and even though the mediums have changed, my voice has remained strong, clear, and boldly defiant.