In the summer of 2015, I decided to leave my elementary art teacher career and return to making art full time. I chose to focus on children’s picture books so that I could combine my many and varied interests.

My first effort, Dae’s Night, was a finalist in the children’s picture book author/illustrator category of the 2016 Tassy Walden Awards. This early success encouraged me to continue. To learn what it takes to actually get a book published, I joined the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and several other local writer’s groups. With their encouragement, I entered my latest work, Grackle, in the 2017 Tassy Walden Awards and won an Honorable Mention in both the children’s picture book author/illustrator and illustrator categories. Grackle also received very favorable comments from the judges of the 2017 Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award-PEN+NE.

Before all this happened, I earned a BFA from Richard Stockton State University and an MALS from Wesleyan University. I earned my art teacher certification through the Connecticut’s Alternate Route to Certification program. During my teaching career, I was associated with the Yale Center for British Art Consortium and their summer program for visual literacy.

Now that I can work full time as an artist and children’s illustrator/author, I am enjoying every moment. When I’m not creating my artwork, you may find me in the garden, in the kitchen or spending time with my husband and son.

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