Etoile

I'm an artist specializing in pen & ink, acrylics, watercolor. I love color, color, color and vibrancy. The more colors I can squeeze in a single composition, the better.

I'm a public school art teacher (glorified babysitter/lion tamer). I'm moving towards becoming a full-time artist, so that I can spend my days creating art and exploring questions about the work.

I've been bitten by the ATC/swapping bug, and I love to trade. If you want to do a private swap, feel free to send a PM.

Handmade or decorative paper, Japanese paper, African themes, Asian themes, Faces, Paper or fabric with prints, African-American themes, Hand-drawn or hand-painted ATC's, Sticker sheets, Sheet music, Pages from books with text, Birds/Nature themes, Lavender and/or purple, Maps, Collages

I like tea, especially green, chai, vanilla, and citrus.

stickers-only ATC’s, reward stickers

I’m not a fan of rooibos tea, it tastes like cigarettes (Forrest Gump voice) or any berry flavored teas

Handmade paper, Japanese paper, Decorative Paper, Handmade books, African American themes, used stamps, stickers, scrapbook accessories, ephemera, art with paint or markers or pens, hand-drawn/painted art/ATC’s

If you're interested in any of this stuff, PM me and we'll set up a trade!

Alphonse Mucha, Henri Matisse, Margaret Bowland, Brenda Joysmith, James Van der Zee, Iona Rozeal Brown, Monica Cook, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Lorna Simpson, Renee Cox, Mequitta Ahuja, Nandipha Mntambo, Arthur de Pins, Sylvia Walker, Joshua Mays

Game of Thrones, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Project Runway, Westworld, Mad Men, Sex and the City, Chopped, Judge Judy, Anthony Bourdain, Walking Dead

Black Panther. Wakanda Foreva!

Bridesmaids, Hangover

Gladiator. I heart Russell Crowe. I heart Russell Crowe in Roman gear.

The Incredibles. Incredible story, animation, humor.

Up in the Air. I heart George Clooney, a good supporting cast and a good script. I read the book too. I liked the movie better because the character was more developed. Clooney was good in Michael Clayton, too

Burn After Reading & Fargo. Dark Cohen brothers humor.

Coming to America. The funniest movie ever made. Soul Glo commercial, falling down the steps, and endless sight gags.

Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi. This book is a narrative of an entire German town during WWII. Beautifully written. The main story is about a misfit dwarf growing up the town.

Out by Natsuo Kirino. It's a contemporary suspense novel about a group of Japanese women who become involved in a brutal murder of a husband and then an elaborate cover up. It was a nail biter about people we normally don't associate with murder.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. This is a classic fable that explains the identity crisis of a black child in a hostile world. When I first read the book, I thought the story was simple. Each time I read it, I find a new nuance or symbol.