I am a recent graduate of Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA, with a BA in Studio Art, and I'm currently pursuing a Master's in Library Science. I hope to be both a children's librarian and a writer/illustrator of children's books.

I work most often in pen and ink as I love the challenge of using line alone to express texture, value, motion, and even to imply color. A strong influence on my work comes from the illustrators whose art has inspired me ever since I was a kid, like Mercer Mayer, Erik Blegvad, Trina Schart Hyman, and William Steig. My artwork is also influenced by my love and respect for animals; many of my drawings and paintings are of animals in various odd settings. Often these works stem from a story that's hovering in the back of my mind-- although I have to admit I usually feel as though the characters are keeping most of the story to themselves, and all I have been made privy to is the one funny little event that I'm drawing... I always imagine that someday I will suddenly understand what all these peculiar animals are up to, and just what this world they inhabit is all about!

I also work from life and have taken numerous courses in life drawing; some of my sketches working with live models may be viewed here. I find that what I've learned in drawing the human figure helps to enliven all my work with a greater understanding of movement, energy, and mass.

The stories I write are also often about animals-- sometimes my own pets (The Lettuce Rancher), and sometimes odd characters who just happen to be animals (Grickle the Hero). Other stories center on children, especially kids having the kind of mysterious-but-funny adventures that were always my favorites to read about, as in my latest story, Owen's Uncles. I am currently submitting my illustrations and my children's stories to publishers, while continuing to write and produce new works of art.