One thing is certain about this creative woman: she has a true heart for art.

Photo: Nicole Hamel

• Has lived in Clermont for 10 years. 
• Graduated with an associate’s in arts degree in 1999 at Florida SouthWestern State College. 
• Graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in art history from Florida State University. 

Passion for art history: I say history is the shared human experience on Earth, and art history is the visual representation of that. 

My nickname: I’m known as “The Wandering Art Historian.” I give lectures, teach classes, and host book clubs. Through Zoom, my blog, and my YouTube channel, I connect with people all over the world to talk about art. A lot of people have a weird perception that art is only for a small group of people. In reality, art is for everyone.
I tell everyone that their feeling and reaction to a piece of art is just as important as the facts about why an artist created a piece of art in the first place. 

My career: I started my career providing arts education at three museums and loved it. I had to cater toward children and adults and learn how to get them connected with the arts. I love talking to people about art. After years of working in museums, I started doing freelance work in 2017. Today, I’m teaching art classes on Zoom. Each course consists of four weekly sessions. In April, I’m teaching a course titled “The Legacy of Vincent van Gogh,” and in May I’m teaching a course titled “From Muse to Master: Celebrating Women Artists.”

My artwork: I’m self-taught. I do acrylics, and my work is influenced by pop culture. Several of my paintings were inspired by the movie “Spiderman,” and I also painted Dante, a dog in my favorite Disney Pixar animated film, “Coco.” 

Advice for aspiring artists: Be prepared to work a lot. Whatever your style of art is, don’t stop creating it. Find your voice, and once you have a voice nobody can compete because your artistic voice is yours and yours only. 

Favorite artists: Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and Marcel Duchamp. 

Bucket list item: I would love to go to New York City and visit a different museum each day. 

Three words to describe yourself: Nerd. Artist. Bibliophile (lover of books). 

Hobbies: I love science fiction films, television shows, and books. 

Pet peeve: Unsolicited advice. 

Favorite food: I love Italian food and chocolate. An ideal meal would be a mushroom pizza with chocolate milk.