Philadelphia is home—its streets, its rhythm, its people are part of who I am and how I create. I’ve been here since I was 23, and while I didn’t grow up here, I grew into the adult I am here. I built my first business, Sip-N-Glo Juicery, in this city. I closed it on March 15th, just before the city shut down due to COVID—not solely because of the pandemic, but because I was pregnant and deeply aware that I didn’t want to miss the early moments with my daughter. It was also a return to my truest calling - my art.

Now, with a studio based in Philly, I’m fully rooted in my practice—working every day to build a visual language that speaks to healing, connection, and collective care.

Over the past year, I’ve been quietly—and then not so quietly—spreading hugs across the city. What began as a personal ritual of self-holding and healing has blossomed into a public street art project, where hugs appear around Philadelphia, urging people to stop, feel, take a moment, and remember how vital physical touch is. This project continues to grow, gaining attention both in real life and online, where people share their encounters. It’s Philly-born, Philly-rooted, and Philly-loved.

The HUG, to me, is both personal and radical—a feminine form, a soft space, an open invitation. My paintings and soft sculptures continue this theme, drawing from feminist art history and anatomical abstraction to create work that pulses with boldness, gesture, and emotion. I think of the body—especially the feminine body—as a vessel of memory, of power, of wisdom. I want my work to hold people, to spark connection, and to carve out space for softness in the public sphere.