Artist Bio
I've painted basically my entire life. It was always something I did for fun, and sometimes just putting brush to paint and paint to canvas calms me down. I've always needed to create.
For most of my adult life, I was a professional freelance graphic designer working in the entertainment field, and that satisfied my creative side. When I sold my last business—the dinner theater TheatreNOW—I suddenly didn't have that graphic design outlet anymore. Selling the business, followed almost immediately by the onset of the COVID pandemic, found me wanting—needing—to create again. So I picked up my paints and brushes and started back.
A watercolor workshop with acclaimed artist Janice Castiglione in Wilmington, NC, introduced me to this "new-to-me" medium and got me excited about painting in a whole new way. I've been painting in earnest ever since.
My first "show" was through the Cameron Art Museum School's Student-Teacher Exhibit, where my teacher, Castiglione, chose me to exhibit alongside her. Coincidentally, my piece, Skywatch Emu, was exhibited in a gallery named after my mother, MC Erny. I guess it was all meant to be!
Since then, I've been fortunate to show my work throughout the Southeast with various arts organizations, while continuing to experiment with new mediums, styles, and ways of creating.
Then 2025 found me taking on something completely different—writing and illustrating my first (and probably only!) children's book. Look for more information later in 2026!
Please enjoy this gallery of my art, visit my online store for prints, or contact me for a quote on a commissioned piece. Most of all, I hope you enjoy looking at the work as much as I've enjoyed creating it.
Current & Upcoming Shows
Let it Flow
-Group Art Show & Sale-
The watercolor art of the students
of Janice Castiglione
Jan 22-Mar 12, 2027WHQR • 254 N. Front StWilmington, NC
Abstracts in America 2026
-Juried Art Show-
Oct 22-24, 2026Events on Front • 130 N. Front StWilmington, NC