About

Raggedy Ann, Age 5

I’ve always liked to draw.

And I’ve always liked to make things. As a kid, I spent countless hours in my bedroom working on “projects.” I saved all sorts of bits to make craft toys. I designed and built my own desk in Junior High. (Even with Father’s help it was crude, but it did function till college!)

Around the same time I started painting illustrations for my own poetry alphabet book. I remember letter T had a limerick about a turtle who wanted to fly and letter P had “A little sickle pickle [who] went to get tickled by a pickle.”

Drawing was a family affair. My live-in grandmother enjoyed painting and she took me to her life drawing sessions when I was a teen. She also pointed the way to art classes at our local community college when I was still in High School.

My parents couldn’t stomach art major for college, so I pursued architecture. At Cal Poly (SLO) and more community colleges, I found my way to dabble in a wide variety of art mediums. I’ve yet to find one I didn’t enjoy – be it sculpture, glass fusing, stained glass work, photography, or fine furniture making.

And now? I’m back where I started when I was 12, thinking about words and how to draw them. And I couldn’t be happier.

Memberships

Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI)

Awards

They Draw and Cook : 1st Place Finish – Kraft Recipe Illustration Contest

Blown Covers: 1st Runner-Up – The Gays, New Yorker Cover Contest

Blown Covers: 2nd Runner Up – Father’s Day, New Yorker Cover Contest