This political cartoon was a collaboration between my Turkish brother-in-law (concept) and myself (art). The concept came from episodes of police brutality towards peaceful environmental protesters last year in Istanbul. When the conservative news (think FOX) aired later that evening, instead of covering the day's conflicts, the network showed a special documentary on the majestic penguin.

This multimedia piece is about personal relationships to tragedy, and was informed by my life experiences living in Ukraine. I struggled during my two years in the village of Sudylkiv, not least of all because of the daily confrontation with death. In the vestiges of the Jewish cemetery there lies a living memory of the dead.

This is a portrait I painted from a black and white I took of my sister and dog napping on a Summer afternoon in 2008. This painting challenged my relationship to “real” color, and pushed my exploration of texture in acrylic paint. Bridget has now settled 10,000 miles away, and Apollo passed away this past St. Patrick’s Day. In addition to being a testament to the leaps I made in skill, this painting preserves a precious moment between my two favorite curly-haired people.

I drew this colored pencil piece for my sister’s 23rd birthday. In Poland, we say “Sto Lat,” or “100 years” rather than happy birthday. This fantastical future portrait of us two and my great-great granddaughter the acrobat includes references to astrology, Soviet attitudes of aging, and inside jokes aplenty.

I undertook a grand adventure for love, and moved to a Ukrainian village for two years. That first winter, without family, without paved roads, without language skills, without internet, I found my strongest connection to be with the beauty of Sudylkiv in ice. This tryptych photograph (a format you’ll see in my photography, too) attempts to illustrate the life and beauty of the village in the dead of winter; from the bold chickens to the folksy flowers painted on houses to the blossoming compote berry trees, the village had plenty to offer if only I kept my eyes open.

Most of the buildings in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of Ukraine were constructed before the fall of the Soviet Union. I’m not sure why this backdoor to a random apartment building was so appealing, but I just found the architecture and satellite dishes to have beautiful lines and shapes.

For two years I managed a children’s store called Baby Hugs. After I moved to Eastern Europe, my boss informed me that she was starting her own toy company, Lil’ Starz, and asked if I would design toys for them since I knew the market well. New sanctions on Chinese-American manufacturing relationships put this project on hold, but I still dream about adding products to this collection someday! My ultimate dream as a toy designer would be to create a line of affordabl plush dolls that represent the demographics of the Bay Area.