I recently moved back to Miami where I grew up, after being gone for 23 years. After a couple of years in San Francisco and twenty in Seattle, I was ready to return to a climate that suits me a little better than the cold, rainy Northwest and the unpredictability of Northern California. I missed the warm ocean, the sun, not wearing shoes and not having to think about layering clothes every time I would leave my apartment.

Those were my personal reasons for returning, but there are others, perhaps more compelling. I have had, and continue to have, a successful career as a visual artist in the Seattle area. Being represented by one of the top galleries in the area, having had numerous exhibits including museum solo shows, receiving several awards and creating public works, I felt that it was time to expand my audience.

I want to be in a place where people seem excited about the arts. A place that feels it is ready to make a difference in the art world, and closer to New York; without the cold. There are many things that inspire me as an artist. As I get older with perhaps less physical energy, instead of longing for quiet and solitude, I crave the energy of a place a little less tame than the Pacific Northwest. The sights and sounds of south Florida, the tropical breezes, the foliage, and the warm sun have a rejuvenating effect on me. I also missed a certain feeling of belonging, which I am able to find with the large Latin population here.

The cost of living is also a factor. Miami, with as much as it has to offer, is still extremely affordable. I sense the possibilities, not only developing a clientele for my work in Florida, but also having access to the constant flow of tourists from just about every corner of the world.

It was very exciting during Art/Basel Miami this December, seeing not only the quality of work brought here by the fair and the festivities that were planned celebrating visual art, but also the quality of work being produced and consumed locally. I’m just beginning to send samples of my work to galleries and keeping my fingers crossed that I can continue my success in a place that feels a bit more like home.