Cynthia’s Story
Born and raised in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I had an innate desire to see the world. My options felt vast and limited all at once. My wanderlust or curiosity about the world just beyond the small town limits was relentless. Torn between New York City or the Coast of California, I headed west.
At eighteen—with nothing more than a one-way ticket, a blue vinyl Samsonite suitcase, and $200 worth of babysitting money in my pocket—I boarded my first ever airplane and flew to San Francisco.
From San Francisco to Sacramento and eventually San Diego, Southern California became and remained my home for over thirty years. With a stable career, a marriage (and subsequently a divorce), I was learning about life. Lessons in love, loss, perseverance, breakdowns, and breakthroughs. This became the cornerstone of my artistic expression.
Decades later, I found myself making yet another cross-country journey fueled by curiosity and a willingness to explore. With my well-developed New York attitude and my California state of mind—this time I landed in the Deep South, in the throes of summer.
The contrast was palpable. Environmental changes, unfamiliar street signs, lilting accents—it was all foreign to me, and it had an unexpected effect on every faucet of my life. I felt very out of place. I searched for a way to move through what was moving through me (not always gracefully). In that search, I found my way back to a medium I had long dabbled in—paint on a blank canvas.
Although I worked in creative outlets, my dedication to painting began later in life. In contrast to many of my contemporaries, I entered this arena with no formal arts education. I ventured down many unfamiliar roads and remained open and curious about it all. I allowed myself to defy expectation, set aside self-judgment, and did not take the traditional artist pathways. Soon, unbridled color and nuanced textures became a language for the unspoken depths within. It wasn’t just about creating art; it was about connecting with the essence of myself, a wellspring of creativity and a newfound sense of belonging.
Today, I continue to balance curiosity, inspiration, and expression as I create and live my life between Charlotte, North Carolina, and the wide open spaces of Sedona and the mountains of Northern Arizona.