Hello, I'm Gwenn.

When I start a piece​,​ I sit with myself to understand my current mood. Living with bi-polar means my mood changes often. However​,​ I’ve always struggled to express my mood and emotions with words. I just don’t have an understanding of how the way I’m feeling relates to words. Instead​,​ I have a form of Synesthesia​,​ which causes me to see colors as an expression of my emotions. Using that association from my mental state​,​ I build a color palette around that color which I am experiencing. Then I start painting through a stream of consciousness method. In the early phases of my paintings​,​ they are energetic​,​ messy​,​ and chaotic. Over time​,​ the painting coalesces​,​ and eventually​,​ the composition comes together! Sometimes I find “the face” in the piece​,​ but other times “the face” finds me. Additionally​,​ my use of color is an expression of my queer identity​,​ a community known for colorful celebrations of joy! I live in San Diego​,​ California and work out of a studio there as well. I am an abstract figurative artist working in acrylic and mixed media. I am a queer​,​ non-binary artist who lives with bipolar disorder. I hold a B.S. in Computer Science (University of Illinois​,​ Urbana-Champaign​,​ 1998-2001) and an M.S. in Chemistry (University of California​,​ San Diego​,​ 2002-2004)​,​ but my passion has always been in the creative world. I have played piano and viola most of my life​,​ and still write music occasionally. In 2021​,​ I started pursuing my dream of becoming a fine artist​,​ studying under several painting instructors in San Diego.