Painting is a is a dirty business, and that's exactly why I love it. I've been getting my hands messy with it ever since I was old enough to have my own space to fling paint around. I've always been creative ever since I was little. I wrote poems, short stories, took crayon's to things I found outside in nature that I thought needed extra flair of color.  Needless to say I recognized my passion for art at an early age. I am a self-taught artist. I primarily paint with my hands and prefer acrylics, inks, oil pastels and resin. My pieces are usually dramatic in bright vivid colors with  a simplicity or a contrasting deep layering technique added with intense variations of hues. I am also a sales manager for Park Place Porsche. I have a love for art, porsche, fragrances and fashion. I figured out one thing in life........ do what you what love.

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2001 - This was the year that I started on the board of a local Dallas art collective who came together as a group of about 30 artists to organize, design and show works of the collective through out DFW.  There were painters, fashion designers, architects, photographers, sculptors and furniture designers who placed all of their talents together and created events. The first event was for Ft. Worth’s annual Gallery Walk in the art district.  The group presented their material to the surrounding galleries and was told that they were too new and too young to show their pieces. This was one event that the group overcame opposition and created an open air outside gallery at a schoolyard that was on the same street as Gallery Walk night. The event “Mirage” was a huge success! One of the architects in the group had designed an outside open air gallery where the art work all hung on airplane wires and from the street looked as of the pieces were floating in the air. On the top of the gallery was a silver lame fabric floating in the air to give it a Cirque de Soleil feel. The gallery that they created received an article in the newspaper as one of the best and unique galleries for the evening. Over 500 people attended the collective’s open-air gallery that evening and sold most of the pieces. This was one story that had to be told to show the tenacity and unrelenting efforts of young and rising artists. By putting their minds and energy together can overcome anything. 
This was just the beginning.... I ventured out in a business acquisition for a while with a very close interior designer friend of mine. In 2006 Brooke appointed me to be the Gallery Director and main artist in her new showroom, "The Brooke Berman" Art Gallery in Dallas at the hotel Palomar. It was  a fun adventure, we got to sell pieces to celebrities who were in town for weekend trips. Being attached to a hip hotel was fun and a rewarding experience. 

I am very dedicated to my communities and give back accordingly. I support a number of local charities and have held shows to raise funds to support the Dallas Ft.Worth communities. I work closely with clients who allow me to create works specifically for their homes and spaces. My work has been featured in a number of design magazines including D Home, Dallas Home Design, Paper City, several blogs and my work has been on display in a home tour on the television show Designing Texas. You can find my work installed at Jaspers restaurant in Frisco Texas voted by Esquire magazine Best 2003 Restaurant in America”!






 Biography
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Currently-

The name of my design studio in Dallas is 187 Ink llc. I paint and sell works under this entity along with dabble in design whether it be the occasional t-shirt I make and sell or assist friends in picking up a few pieces of art or display pieces for their homes. I love, art, fashion, design and cars. I am a local Dallas artist. Also, an advocate of Uptown, Turtle Creek, Oak Lawn, Bishop Arts and Oak Cliff artists. I have works on rotation and display to be scheduled by appointments only at the Rathbun House in Preston Hollow and a few design showrooms around the design district. I also have works being displayed at the Classic Pilates Studio in Turtle Creek. My inspiration comes from life relationships, successes and challenges.  I am currently part of a collective of 5 other talented artists who display their works at the Rathbun House and Restaurants. I also spend time throughout the year creating commissioned pieces for clients in the Dallas area.  Additionally, I work full time selling Porsche's at Park Place.... which I absolutely love. I get to do two things I really enjoy.. painting and selling Porsche's.


                     Art Party Dallas - 
The Art Party Dallas is made up of artists who combine all of their skills, mediums and personalities to create a truly unique experience for the art connoisseur. 
Kent and Tracy Rathbun provide the space, which happens to be their home, that was designated especially for gatherings that will impress. The Art Party is : Kent Rathbun ( chef and sponsor ), Tracy Rathbun ( sponsor ), Mindy Collins ( Painter ), Rick Griggs ( Painter ), Tamara White ( Painter ), Scott Harben ( Sculptor and Photographer ), Ron and Chris Marrs ( Glass Works ).  The Art Party Party is not just  an event, not just evening where we can get get together and enjoy wonderful art  and have gourmet food... It is a business model for a new way of selling art without selling out. Artists are presented with so many obstacles, financial barriers,  and social stigmas. Why not just make it fun. The way it was suppose to be.