I have always loved creating. I remember making little toilet paper and Elmer's glue characters, and tucking these precious creations into my secret drawer. I think I was 5. I wish I could see them again.
My mom taught me about creativity. She always said, "we can make that" and she DID! Thus, I have always found excitement in beginnings, in the blank paper, and crave the adrenaline rush when everything comes together at the end. After every project, I proudly stamp it with "I made this". "Thanks, Mom!"
I took my first real painting class as a Senior in high school. Loved e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g about painting. Learned a ton, but mostly that it was fun. So I made the obvious choice after graduation and went onto college to be an accountant. (Thank goodness THAT didn’t work out!) Second semester I confidently switched my major and the rest is history. I studied at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, and in Florence, Italy. My senior art show was one my proudest, most exciting life moments.
I've learned a few things since my toilet paper and glue people days. I now illustrate with ink, acrylic and watercolor, other mixed media if it moves me, and integrate digital into my finished art. I also am a writer and a self-taught graphic designer, freelancing since 1995. In my earlier years, I taught 5-8 year-olds at The Art Academy in St. Paul, then I became a mom.
Growing up in a small SW Minnesota town gave me a great childhood, but I really love the big city. I live in Minneapolis, MN, with my husband, two terrific kids, and our loveable morkie, Luna.
Partial Client List: Beaver’s Pond Press, Coloplast, Children’s Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota (Minneapolis and St. Paul), Amoena, Park Nicollet Foundation, Sanford Children’s Hospital (Sioux Falls, SD), Sanford Clinic (Kunming, China), Purple Frog Publishing, Marshall Fields FRANGO MINTS, Mirage Advertising, Viking Magazine, MSP Magazine, Ehlert Publishing, Best Buy, The Dragonfly Project, Angel Foundation, PICA/Head Start, Capital City Lights-St. Paul