Tang0Alpha

Artists Muse, Music Lover, Art Aficionado, Fitness/Wellness Devotee, Gourmet Cooking Connoisseur, Foodie/Gourmand Follower, Reading Enthusiast, Podcast Fanatic, History Buff, Political Junkie, Travel Lover, Birdwatching Nut, Backyard Gardening Practitioner, Motorcycling Maniac, Bourbon/Scotch/Whiskey, Cigar & Wine Fancier 

I’m a vibrant, vigorous, vital, vivacious vixen in my mid 50s. After being medically retired due to my service-connected injuries from a 27-year career in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) in 2014 and finding myself single after divorce in 2015, I decided it was time to work on me. I used my time to heal, to rest and renew, for deep introspection to figure out what I wanted to do with the next chapter of my life. Healing from the service-connected injuries I sustained and making the adjustments as a disabled veteran and divorcee has been challenging but I am grateful for the support I've had from my family, friends and community of caring which includes artists and activists.  I maintain my physical fitness and emotional wellness with aerobic and strength-training workouts, Pilates, Yoga, Tai-Chi, meditation and mindfulness.  I work with a professional trainer for special projects and events.

As a 50+ female disabled military veteran, I find myself in a unique niche which intrigues many artists. The awesomely fabulous work of Michael Stokes and the images of wounded military veterans for his Bare Strength, Always Loyal and Invictus projects and publications were an inspiration to and catalyst for me to try modeling. I began modeling in July 2016 when I participated in Spencer Tunick's "Everything She Says Means Everything" in Cleveland, OH. In June 2019, I again worked with Spencer Tunick on the #WeTheNipple campaign in New York, NY which was sponsored by the National Coalition Against Censorship. From June to October 2019, I participated in a 5-month residency as a veteran cast member of Diavolo's The Veterans Project/A Long Journey Home in Tampa, FL. Along the way, I also began freelancing as an on-call live artists’ model in college and university art departments helping the next generation of artists hone their skills and learn their craft.  Collectively, these projects gave me the confidence to pursue my passion for the arts, to develop relationships with artists across various mediums and to work as an artists’ model.

Since my return to the St. Louis Metropolitan region in November 2019, I am a part-time staff member in the SIU-E Department of Art and Design where I work as a live artists' model. In addition to this position, I continue to model at other local colleges and universities in an on-call basis as my schedule allows. I’m an artists’ model who freelances and has worked with individual artists across a variety of mediums on a range of projects in the STL Metro area and across the country. I'm especially proud of my freelance work because the majority of this work is word-of-mouth via the close-knit community of Artists, Photographers and Professors and is a reflection of my artistic integrity, service-oriented professionalism and disciplined work ethic.