About Mina
I was raised between ridge lines and river hollows, where the Appalachian Mountains shrugged on their morning mist like a shawl. There, I learned that sun-warmed dirt keeps secrets and honeysuckle can sweeten even the hardest day. Then came West Texas, wide-open country that stretched my horizon and my heart. The wind carried dust instead of dew, and the locals spoke in an unfamiliar twang and humor, but I fit right in with a sketchbook balanced on my knees and stories rattling inside my head.
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Those two landscapes still argue and harmonize in my work. The mountains gave me a sense of rooted wonder; Texas taught me to paint big and brave. When my parents split, art and writing became the place I stashed the ache, word by word, brushstroke by brushstroke, until it wasn’t ache anymore but color and cadence.
Today I’m back on a farm tucked into the Appalachians, juggling horses, goats, dogs, and ducks with deadlines and daydreams. The rhythm of chores steadies my hands; the hush of the barn reminds me to listen. Each piece I paint, each novel I write is a front-porch conversation—honest, sometimes sassy, always reaching for romance. I paint to untangle what life knots up, and every finished piece whispers the same truth: there’s beauty in the messy middle, and it’s braver for having been broken first.
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Pull up a chair, breathe in the mountain air, and stay awhile. I’m still chasing fireflies only now I catch them in paint and books.
Artist Statement
As an emerging artist, I’m still discovering the balance between my own self-doubt and the urge to express something genuine. Each piece I paint feels like a tentative conversation—where strokes of color wrestle with subtler details, and where my uncertainties intermingle with the subject’s purpose. I’m drawn to moments that hint at both vulnerability and inner strength, hoping that through the exploration of light, shadow, and form, I’ll find my artistic voice.
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In these recent pieces, I wanted to capture a sense of identity that’s both rooted in personal or cultural heritage and open to interpretation. The vivid face in a few of the portraits speaks to the layers we each carry—our histories, fears, and hopes—while in the gentler composition of the other paintings, I’m trying to convey calm despite feeling unsure of my own footing. In many ways, each portrait becomes a mirror for my own emerging style: earnest, curious, and evolving with each brushstroke. By placing these figures against atmospheric backgrounds and leaning into both realism and abstraction, I hope viewers see not just the subject’s story, but my own exploration of who I am—an artist and author continually finding her way.
