CYNTHIA’S STORY
Born and raised in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I always had a restless curiosity about the world beyond. At eighteen-with a one-way ticket, a blue vinyl Samsonite suitcase, and $200 in babysitting money - I boarded my first-ever flight and headed west.
San Diego became and remained my home for over thirty years. Through career, marriage, divorce, and all the lessons in between - love, loss, breakdowns, and breakthroughs - I was learning how to live. Those life chapters, and what would come after, became the roots of my creative expression.
Decades later, fueled by curiosity and a willingness to explore I found myself making another cross-country journey which brought me to the Deep South. Everything felt unfamiliar - accents, streets, even the dense humid air. I felt very out of place. In the disorientation, I searched for a way to express these foreign feelings of uncertainty and discomfort.
Though I had explored many creative outlets, my dedication to painting came later in life, and not through any traditional path. I had no formal art education - only the willingness to stay open, to explore, and to trust what moved through me. Over time, color and texture became a language for what words couldn't hold. Art became not just a practice, but a return to self.
These days, I continue to balance life's curiosities, and inspirations between Charlotte, North Carolina, and the wide-open landscapes of Sedona and Northern Arizona - always listening for what wants to be expressed next.