Hi I’m Shaina. I’m an acrylic painter based in Ohio, creating artwork that blends emotion with dreamy glimpses of nature. My personality is fun, bubbly, sarcastic, determined, and a little stubborn. I make art to feel, not to impress, and I hope everyone who sees my work feels something too.

I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was always drawing people and nature or crafting with scraps of paper. Funny enough, I tried painting once in middle school and proudly showed my piece to my dad. He said, “Wow, that’s so good! Did you do that when you were five and just find it?” He was trying to be nice, but I had just painted it at 14, and I immediately decided I sucked at painting. I gave up because I couldn’t add color to my drawings without “ruining them,” and I secretly envied anyone who could.

Years later (in my twenties), I discovered alcohol inks. Their wild, unpredictable flow and bold colors made something in me light up. My fiancé eventually bought me a painting tutorial kit for Christmas, and after doing just one, I was hooked. Painting became all I could think about.

Art is in my blood. My grandfather, who lived in Oregon, was a talented abstract painter and art teacher. I didn’t meet him until I was in 5th grade, and only had a few years with him before he passed away, but his dreamy abstract work still mesmerizes me and inspires what I create. I wish I could’ve learned from him directly, but I like to think he would be proud.

My life has never been typical. I became a mom at 17, worked my way through college with kids in tow, earned my master’s degree, then found myself divorced at 25. After years of trying to “prove myself,” I finally realized that passion matters more than perfection. That’s when I started building my dream life — one brushstroke at a time — and stopped caring about outside opinions.

My work often centers around emotion, resilience, and nature. I paint for people who have been through storms, who are still growing, who feel deeply. Many of my abstracts have motivational words or phrases hidden inside them — quiet reminders of strength, hope, and the beauty that comes after darkness.

As someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression since my teens, art is one of the few things that brings my mind into a peaceful space. I hope my children grow up seeing that it’s never too late to chase something you love, and that believing boldly (and sometimes delusionally) in yourself is a superpower.

Right now, I’m selling original paintings and will expand into prints as I grow. More than anything, I paint to connect — to myself, my story, and anyone else who sees a piece of their heart in my work.