For as long as I can remember, I have loved exploring the qualities that make individuals uniquely and distinctly themselves, and the stories of the world they inhabit. I've always been a daydreamer with a big imagination, so I love imagining whimsical creatures and fantasy lands just as much as I love exploring themes related to the social-emotional realities we face as humans.

 

When I illustrate, I want characters to feel as though the viewer has caught them mid moment, as if they could jump off the page at any second. Aesthetically, I love to combine the magic of childhood imagination and whimsy with an infusion of classic “Americana” aesthetic.  But above all, my greatest hope is to make the viewer feel. Whether it’s humor or tenderness, sadness or irrepressible joy, I know that my work is a success when someone feels it first and foremost, allowing the viewer to enter into another person’s outer world and inner life.

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My Background

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I have been drawing and creating stories since I could hold a pencil and string words together. I am not formally trained, but I  have also taken courses in children's book writing and illustration through Otis College of Art and Design, UCLA Extension, Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education, and Art Center Extension. Many of these courses were taught by well known authors and illustrators, including an illustration course taught by the incomparable Marla Frazee.

 

I am a professional photographer by trade and worked as an international documentary photographer for organizations in Uganda, Guatemala, and India, until I decided to settle down closer to home, and became a wedding and family photographer.  I took time off from pursuing my dream of writing and illustrating children's books to pursue the opportunities provided by my photography career, however, my work as a photographer has given me a better and more in depth understanding of how light and composition can enhance visual storytelling. 

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When I am not drawing or busy taking photos, you can find me riding my horse, or chasing around my dog, my chickens, and my eight-year-old daughter (sometimes all at once). I am also eternally trying to win my formerly feral cat’s respect, and usually not succeeding.  A year and a half ago, I saw my unrequited “one that got away” love in person again for the first time after 18 years, and in a fairy tale ending, we were married in June of 2023.  I love to spend time in nature, and over the last three years, I had the opportunity to design a cabin in the woods of New Hampshire which will provide a home base to pursue some of my other passions: kayaking, skiing, and whitewater river rafting.  I have lived on four continents, and traveled all around the world, before settling down just outside of Boston.

 

Additionally, I have severe ADHD, yet went undiagnosed for much of my life. I am passionate about normalizing and celebrating neurodiversity, while also encouraging anyone to get whatever help they need without shame or fear of stigma.