About Me and Solus Studio

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As a child, I would spend hours hanging out with my dad in his studio. I loved the smell of the turpentine he used to clean his brushes mixed with the sweet smell of his pipe tobacco. There would always be classical music on the radio. I would paint or draw. He created masterpieces, and I created, well, little kid art.

As I grew, I kept creating. I would try to draw and paint but often felt frustrated because I knew I didn't have the same talent my dad had. I dabbled in photography, print-making, ceramics, and weaving. I enjoyed them all very much, but none of them took hold of me. Not the same way I saw drawing and painting take hold of my dad. I got my BA in General Studies with a minor in Art and then worked in a coffee shop. Ha. 

Out of the blue, my dad sent me a brochure about a graphic design and pre-press certificate program. I read the brochure and I just KNEW that was it! This was way back in the day when print and graphic design were transitioning from cut-and-paste to digital desktop publishing. I had never really used a computer before, but it felt like it was in my blood from the first moment. I had never had anything grab hold of me as this did. I could create without the limitations of physically mastering techniques that I was never going to master. I could make things look exactly how I wanted them to look, down to the pixel.

I was fortunate to have had a long career that involved designing publications, digital illustration, advertising, marketing, packaging design, and art direction. 

In 2017 I moved into a place that afforded me the space to have a studio of my own. I was getting tired of looking at a screen so much and wanted to see if find a way to fill that creative need, away from the screen. My early projects were a fun exploration of combining some of my photography with resin. It was great but didn’t feel like it was enough. I was intrigued when I stumbled upon a video of someone using alcohol ink. I got myself some and started to play. It was like the day I got that brochure from my dad, so long ago. I just KNEW. One thing led to another and Solus Studio was born.

The word solus means alone or unaccompanied. This fits perfectly with how I want to be when I create. I make all the jewelry, do all the photography, built and maintain this  website, ship the orders, post to social media. I do have a wonderful partner who helps lug crates and tables at music festivals and fairs, for that, I am incredibly grateful.