I grew up in rural Mississippi in poverty. I have always been one part dreamer, one part do-er. So I spent my childhood chasing the sun through the trees and drawing unicorns and bugs and birds with colored jewels in their foreheads. A lot of fantasy has always worked it’s way into my life. It was the place I could go and always feel safe.
I attained a bachelor’s degree in art (many studio hours in Printmaking) but by my graduation my health was failing and my life plans were detoured. I was diagnosed with an extremely rare kind of cancer, adult spinal ependymoma. The mass in my spine is inoperable. I’ve undergone radiation and sustained tremendous nerve damage and in doing so lost the ability to walk.
My art is hopeful and sad and finds itself hidden deep within the fantasy genre. It ends up more personal than I would like, such as weeds that always come back no matter how hard I prune at it. I’ve been influenced a lot by stories and fairy tales and poster lithographs, especially the 1900’s illustration and woodblock eras from Western and Eastern printing. Also, now manga and comic artists and film artists such as Miyazaki. Audrey Kawasaki’s wood treatment method appeals to me in my art and life, a need for something old and ancient, something with patina on it. Lastly, video games have made a huge influence on my life, so I am always pulled toward that RPG world, again something old but something fantastic.
In many ways I’m tremendously reclusive. I don’t think I made a conscious decision to start making art that was extremely personal but it somehow became my means of communication and conversation. Making a beautiful piece is part of my perfectionist personality, making a piece that says something personal is my way of connecting. I do that through a formula of one part reality, one part fantasy.
Favourite Visual Artist
WLOP, Camilla d'Errico, Tara Mcpherson, Audrey Kawasaki, Chiara Bautista.
Favourite Movies
Spirited Away, Alice (British version), Memoirs of a Geisha, LOTR, Labyrinth, Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaa, Practical Magic.
Favourite TV Shows
Samurai Champloo, Star Trek, Bob Ross Joy of Painting, Claymore, Escaflowne, American Horror Story.
Favourite Bands / Musical Artists
Enigma, Conjure One, Daft Punk, Black Mages, Yoko Kanno, Japanese composers.
Favourite Books
Fairy tales, myth, history, science.
Favourite Writers
Neil Gaiman, Stephen King.
Favourite Games
Currently playing: Final Fantasy, Zelda, Guild Wars 2.
Favourite Gaming Platform
Varied. PC, Playstation, Wii, Phone.
Tools of the Trade
http://lavonia.net/Materials_FAQ.html