My name is Trina Sandress and I create art everyday. As a child to escape the extremedomestic violence and alcohol abuse I experienced between my parents,and to make since of the abuse I experienced as a child ,I would draw, make clothing for my dolls with scraps of fabric and give those dolls braids with beads on them. I then learned at an early age that the way of processing horrific experiences in my world was to express myself through art.

I then went on to take art classes in high school. Only my Jr. and Sr. year did I have art classes. I was so excited to learn and my art teacher Mr. Stoneking was so inspiring. My family was never encouraging when it came to my art. They saw it as disturbing and weird. I would try and explain to them that I am just expressing my feelings. And sometimes those feeling aren't all rosey and bright.

Once I headed on to American River College after getting my high school diploma. I took some basic drawing classes,figure drawing classes,Renaissance Art History,and an Oil Painting Class. I realized that I couldn't afford to continue with my studies for financial reasons because I was supporting myself so I dropped out and went to work full- time at an old school burger joint. I still continued to draw and paint but I wasn't showing any of it to galleries or anything.


So in 1995 I enlisted in the U.S. Army. I was harassed and terrified all of the time. I ended up in a location with several severely racists drill sergeants. They threatened me and told me that I would never go home. I swallowed a whole bottle of pain meds and looked in the mirror and saw the face of a skull imprinted on my face. I was death. The sent me home . I didn't tell them that what I had done I think they just knew. On the plane ride home I felt myself dying.

That experience still haunts me and some of my creations are based on the PTSD that I suffer from that experience and childhoodd traumas as well.


At the present moment I create cloth dolls,repainted dolls,and bottle dolls. I create Stream Of Consciousness drawings, Mother Earth Inspired paintings,and some tribal jewelry,and my tribal style handbags and purses. Which every one of them has been hand sewn,hand embroidered,and hand beaded with my own handmade beads.

Everything I create is channeled through a trance state. It is not planned out it flows out of my fingers onto the cloth,or glass,or old plastic doll.


I strongly believe upcycling and recycling whenever possible. So a lot of my dolls and other creations have been made using those sort of materials.

All cloth dolls are hand sewn. Hand beaded,hand embroidered, handmade all the way.
Thank you for reading my story. I am a work in progress. I hope everyone will continue to grow and never stop learning. We don't know everything.