ARTIST STATEMENT: I am proud to be Brooklyn-born and raised. Earning a degree in art, while studying dance in studios throughout NYC, my work in dance and art has always, intentionally or not, strived to motivate and inspire my audience, my students, my friends and my collectors. My passion for dance turned into a performing and teaching career spanning over 25 years. Crediting my resourceful single mom as inspiration, I can’t say which came first -- dance or visual art -- as I remember encouragement in and a passion for both, very early in life. That passion has never died. I consider myself a motivational artist. Having communicated through dance for so long, it’s only natural that movement manifests in my works on canvas and paper. Through, dance I connected with culture and personal heritage. My passion for dance, culture, traditions and my art are well-blended and I call myself a "choreographer on canvas." My colors, reminiscent of my Caribbean heritage and the stage, are bright and bold, along with use of collage and textures to keep the work alive. I've been told there is a spirituality in what I paint or collage and, because it is not always my intention, I'm very much okay with that. Currently, I am the Director of St. Joseph’s College Council for the Arts, as well as an emerging curator and occasional dance instructor. My work at St. Joseph's includes presenting professional artists, musicians, dancers to the college community as well as the surrounding neighborhood. My own art can be found in private and public collections including the NYC Health and Hospitals Corp., Dunn Development, Museu Brasileiro da Escultura - MuBE Sao Paolo, Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute - Utica, NY, and galleries in New York and the tri-state area. I am a motivational artist, “choreographer on canvas”, accidental historian and an occasional blogger. My blog is called “Now All I Need is the Cape … and Other Reflections of a Superwoman” www.ramonacandy.blogspot.com, And, I maintain a studio in Clinton Hill.