Even as a small child, my love for animals and my artistic ability were never far from each other. If I wasn't playing with my pet poodle, mouse, horse or a neighbor's dog or cat, I was drawing portraits of them. As I grew older my love for both intensified and I began dedicating a lot of my free time to teaching myself how to capture the special character of the animals I was studying.
My formal training began in high school, where I honed my abilities and learned how to use different mediums. I decided to dedicate my life to art when, as a high school freshman, I won my
first award at a local college art competition. I continued my training at Bowling Green State University majoring in Graphic Design with a minor in Jewelry design. After college I worked in the Graphics field for a couple of years but missed the hands on process of creating my own works of art.
Over the years, I've satisfied my creative desires by drawing and painting dog, cat and horse portraits of animals belonging to my friends and family. It always gave me a great sense of accomplishment knowing that I was able to capture the essence and character of the pets they love so dearly.
The turning point from hobby to business came when, after receiving encouragement from family and friends, I decided to enter a pet portrait in an art contest at our local county fair. So I created "Cody", the horse portrait of a very dear friend's beautiful 8 year old chestnut Quarter horse. When "Cody" won top honors in the Black & White category as well as Best of Show I knew that I had found my place in the art world.
I still reside in the small town where I grew up and enjoy the simplicity of life here. I do all of my creating out of my studio in the home I share with my family where I can draw on the inspiration and support of my husband, daughter and the craziest two dogs I know! And I couldn't be happier!
