Style & Influences:

 

My background as a traditional painter influences how I approach my digital illustration work, with textured brush strokes and dynamic shading. I love to create images that are vibrant and filled with personality, planting whimsical little "Easter eggs" for kids to discover!

 

​I'm heavily influenced by my years of teaching art enrichment classes to young children, which taught me what gets kids interested and engaged. I translate this know-how into creating captivating visual narratives.

 

Professional Experience:

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I am an ASCAP/SESAC award-winning songwriter with a songwriting degree from Berklee College of Music. This unique training in storytelling and poetry, has allowed me to smoothly segue into writing and illustrating for children. ​

I have over 15 years experience as a freelance portrait painter, muralist, graphic designer, and most recently, a full-time picture book illustrator and designer. I am eager to grow my career as an author-illustrator while continuing to illustrate picture books, chapter books, MG covers and interiors. 

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I have illustrated 13 books for children including two series:

• THE ADVENTURES OF CRAY by G Pa Rhymes

• THE ADVENTURES OF JULIA AND THE COOP KITTIES + REMI - a bilingual series by co-authors Susana Illera Martínez (Award-winning bilingual author: Disney Encanto stories, "Lala The Lizard") and Julia Davis (Award-winning animal advocate & influencer). 

• Most recently, I completed illustrations for the NF biography, AMELIA'S TEACHER: THE NETA SNOOK SOUTHERN STORY by Jeanne Snook Anderson, which required extensive historical and aviation research to complete.

 

​Awards & Affiliations:

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I'm a current member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and have completed a Children's Book Pro course with the School of Visual Storytelling (SVS Learn). 

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A few of my projects have received recognition, including:

• FOREVER HOME by Cathy Stenquist, a self-published picture book I illustrated (2021), won the 2022 IPNE (Independent Publishers of New England)  Best Children’s Book and recently won honorable mention in the 2023 Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards. It was recently featured in a read-aloud by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York on YouTube.

• RYAN GOES MOUNTAIN BIKING by Katie Dalton & Craig Friedman (Whole Kid Books, 2022) received a Readers' Favorite 5-star review