GN: How did you first get into creating art, and what made you realize this was your path?

JD: My parents used art as a distraction for our “boredom.” Hand me a box of crayons and a few scraps of paper and I’d disappear into the page too busy drawing to cause chaos in public. I took to it quickly and was encouraged just as fast. I can’t say I knew it was my “path” back then, but I knew it was something I was good at, something that felt natural, and something I kept coming back to.

GN: What inspires your work these days, and what themes feel most meaningful to you right now?

JD: The male form fashioned, relaxed, erotic, sculptural. It’s a magnificent landscape, endlessly variable, and it continues to pull my attention. It’s where desire, aesthetics, and imagination meet.

GN: Your pieces have a very distinct look and feel. How would you describe your style in your own words?

JD: Form and color. Strong, confident lines paired with rich saturation. I can get incredibly detailed, but for this collection I wanted the focus to be the form itself and the color that brings it to life.

GN: What does your creative process usually look like from idea to finished piece?

JD: Sometimes an image hits me and I need to get it on paper immediately. Lately, my process centers around intimate male erotic life-drawing sessions poses that reveal more than what you’d see in a typical art class. I take those moments and rework them into finished pieces: sometimes grounded in the energy of the pose as it happened, other times transformed into fantasy scenarios drifting through my head.

GN: Is there a project or artwork that feels especially important to you? Why does it stand out?

JD: Rise and Shine are two pieces created during an early-morning virtual drawing session, and in my mind they belong side by side. They represent where I want my work to live, focused in line, restrained in detail, allowing the image to breathe within the page rather than sitting heavily on top of it. They aim to create a feeling through the lines, not overwhelm the viewer with overly realistic information.

GN: Every artist evolves. How has your work changed over the years?

JD: I’ve moved from hyper-realism to the speed and looseness required in fashion school capturing essence rather than every wrinkle. From there I drifted into comic-book exaggeration, then into the fantastical, and eventually into the erotic. Each phase taught me something about clarity, storytelling, and the body.

GN: Where do you go physically or mentally when you need new ideas or a reset?

JD: I absorb everything around me. Growing up as a bullied kid, I learned to escape into my imagination. Now my reset is a long walk with my headphones on what I call Sidewalk Runway. There are plenty of beautiful people out in the world to inspire the next drawing session.

GN:  Who are some artists, mentors, or people in your circle who inspire or push you creatively?

JD: My husband, first and always my husbandger, Michael Kaleda. He’s the reason this work exists publicly at all. I used to keep my erotic drawings hidden under the bed, convinced no one wanted to see them. I was very wrong. And my Parsons teacher and friend, Steven Broadway, he has always championed my work and nudged me toward the world of erotic male art I’m now fully embracing.

GN: What can we look forward to next from you? Any upcoming projects or goals you're excited about?

JD: More. We’re brewing some ideas for future shows, tighter concepts, deeper thematic focus, and more intentional curation. I’m also open to collaborations with brands and fashion houses; there’s a lot of potential for this work to expand into new spaces. I hear people want hand drawn work again, let’s go. 

GN: What does the term Goodnight mean to you?

JD: When I hear “goodnight,” I think of my mom the flick of my hair, the brush on my cheek, the click of the lamp, and the peace that filled the room as she walked out. It’s that quiet space where dreams begin. So to me, goodnight means peace.