Since I could hold a pencil, 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. 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 artistic influences range from Norman Rockwell and John Singer Sargent, to Alphonse Mucha, and photographers like Henri Cartier Bresson. When I illustrate, I want these characters to feel as though the viewer has caught them mid moment, and that they could jump off the page at any moment. Aesthetically, I love to combine the magic of childhood imagination and whimsy with an infusion of classic “Americana” aesthetic. 

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I have been a member of SCBWI on and off since 2006, and have attended several annual conferences and regional retreats. I have also taken classes with well known authors and illustrators through Otis College of Art and Design, UCLA Extension, Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education, and Art Center Extension, including an illustration class taught by 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. Being a photographer has given me a more in depth understanding of how light and composition can enhance visual storytelling.

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In addition to my art and running my photography business, I’m also mom to one spunky girl, rescue dog, and the human pet of one cat. I am based just outside of Boston, but escape to the woods and lakeside of New Hampshire whenever given the opportunity.