I am a Filipino-American painter based in the brutal, beautiful and curious city of Las Vegas, NV. I graduated from UNLV with a BFA in fine art in 2007. I also attended CSN and received graphic design / web design certifications. I’ve worked as a faux finisher, a commercial graphic designer and a portrait painter.

In 2012 I went into freelance graphic design and opened up my Etsy shop selling some paintings and prints, and also started doing portrait commissions. Soon after, our family grew and I became a full-time stay-at-home-mom which naturally affected work with its ebbs and flows of being busy to doing a few projects a year.

In 2020, in an effort to find some peace and distraction from all that was going on, I started doing paintings for myself again, using images from recent travels with my family. Ever since, I have fallen in love once again with the simple act of applying colorful gooey substances to a surface, the challenge of creating something beautiful, and learning old and new practices / concepts of painting.

Recently my work has evolved towards Southwest landscapes with underlying spiritual themes, such as peace, transformation, light and darkness. I enjoy using water-soluble oil paints and acrylics, and experimenting with custom CNC cut wood panels that my husband creates. He uses his background in engineering and design in making custom frames, fixtures, and panels, using his CNC router and 3D printer.

Other than art, we love to travel and explore in our Jayco Travel Trailer. I also enjoy hiking, spending time with friends, and sipping on English Breakfast tea with a good book.

Thank you for your interest and feel free to message me if you have any questions!
Joy

▶ Available for Portraits and Commissions: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PaintUPortraits