Artist/hiker: This was always my answer when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. My childhood was spent in a small Alaskan town where I was able to play in the woods and mountains all summer, and hibernate with great books all winter. My life has been defined by a strong love of nature and art. I followed these passions with dual studies of biology and painting at Amherst College.
My illustrations are rooted in the flow of energy through our visual environment and vibrant colors. I paint saturated landscapes full of whimsy and light. I appreciate kinetic movements and bright joyful scenes in my illustrations.
After living on the East Coast for eight years, my husband and I found our forever home in Seattle where we happily live with our son and our two adopted Sheltie dogs. When we had our first child in 2018, I took the plunge of leaving my day job to pursue my passions for art and writing. The overwhelming love for our son inspired me to begin my first book, a love letter to him and the beauty of the natural world around us. While this book with it’s detailed oil paintings is still under way, I have published an ink-illustrated book in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
I wrote “Stay-at-Home Hero” in order to provide caregivers with a tool to discuss the Coronavirus crisis on a level even very young children can relate to. Our kids’ world has been turned upside down, and I wanted to help them navigate all of the complicated feelings and worries that they are facing in this new time, and what better way than with a book? “Stay-at-Home Hero” empowers children on how they can help, whether that means making a friend smile with a phone call or even just staying at home.
I have been a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators since 2019, view my member profile and illustration gallery here.