My art business, right eye studios, is a reminder to always look on the bright side! I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was only two and a half years old. Just as most people don’t know that kids can get arthritis too, surprisingly, neither did a lot of doctors. It took a long time for me to receive proper treatment, which meant many hard nights in hospitals. Throughout all
this, my mom was always by my side. During one especially difficult stay that consisted of many new medications and even surgery, my mom found some art materials and painted a portrait of Pinocchio, my favorite bedtime story, on the wall. Since then, art has kept me strong even on my worst days. In high school, I decided to combine my passion for community service with my love for art, and started a non-profit called The Shirt Project. Students, faculty, and staff submitted requests for me to hand-paint something meaningful to them on a shirt. I received a grant to fund the project, so I was able to donate all the proceeds. I proudly wrote a check for over $700 and delivered it to the Ronald McDonald House Charity, a wonderful organization that provides families of children requiring treatment a welcoming place to stay with food, games, and resources, and where I stayed many times as a kid. My passion for art continued to develop as I entered college, and my style evolved until I refined one that felt like ‘me.’ In 2018, as a sophomore at The George Washington University, I started my art business. I have sold pieces to over 170 customers and painted on canvases, tote bags, coffee tables, coasters, shoes, denim jackets, and more. Even though arthritis often limits my physical activity, I can always sit and paint. Due to health complications, I have gone blind in my right eye (creating the inspiration behind my business name, Right Eye Studios). My works are abstract, cubist depictions of the human form (usually female) with the common theme of bright, happy colors and characters who are smiling. Over the years of running Right Eye Studios, I have followed my heart around the world and met many incredible, inspiring people. I have painted alongside impressive artists in Cuba, Colombia, and the United States. I have had my work displayed in coffee shops, galleries, and even designed shirts for a band that they wore in concert. I am now 22 years old and living in Washington, D.C., with dreams to travel the world with my paint brush. I still feel pain in my joints and give myself an injection once a week to make sure my eyes and knees stay functioning, but I haven’t had a flare up in a few years! Art helps me to express my gratitude and excitement of waking up each day in a body that can walk, explore, and see beauty everywhere I look. Right Eye Studios is about finding the joy in everyday life, because nothing, no matter how small, can ever be taken for granted.
