Monica Renee Daniels was born October 21, 1981 at University Hospital in Newark NJ.  Raised by a single mother who had no other children, Monica spent much of her time alone. In that time she cultivated a beautiful talent and expressed her creativity.

            Monica moved to Memphis, TN when she was 6 years old. There her Grandmother and Mother provided with the supplies and support she need to practice her talents.  She attended Alcy S.D.A Academy where her African-American heritage was kept alive unlike in most public school systems.  At home those things were constantly reinforced and she was also taught to have pride and hold her head high.         

            The opportunity to live and travel overseas was presented to Monica in 1993, and even at only 14 years old she knew what she wanted to do.  She lived with her Aunt and Uncle for three years in Bamberg, Germany.  There she learned that she had a knack for cosmetology and would earn money by doing hair on the weekends. At Bamberg American High School Monica had an art teacher who pushed her to further develop her talent by introducing her to works of the masters and many different mediums.

            In 1999, Monica graduated from Hamilton High School and in 2000 she was accepted to attend the Memphis College of Art where even in this day and time she was one of less than 20 African-American students in attendance.  While there she tried it all woodshop, graphics, 2-d and 3-d design, sculpture, metals, life drawing and photography.  Through it all she learned that she really loved surface design and textiles and that was her major concentration.            

             In 2001 Monica joined Nia a black arts collaborative which was a group started by few local artists in Memphis, artists such as  Frank D Robinson, Danny Broadway, and Twin.  While active her work was featured in a number of shows around Memphis as well as gallery shows at the college. Nia also believed in reaching out to the community, Monica volunteered at the YWCA summer girls program as an art teacher.  Being a young Mother herself she jumped at opportunities to speak with teen moms.

            By 2003, Monica had given birth to three beautiful children and had to assume a fulltime job to support them.  This was just another obstacle that inspired her to express her life experiences in her work.  Monica is a self-taught painter and expresses her obvious pride and integrity in her paintings.  She loves to pay tribute to her family and her heritage in her work and her use of many brilliant colors represents her view of unity.

            Monica currently resides in Memphis, TN where she is working on becoming a licensed cosmetologist and crossing over into the Hair Battle lifestyle, just another way to express her views with her gifts.