I was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My love for animals came as naturally as my artistic ability. It was the art that won over when I attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania to study for a Bachelors degree in Applied Media Arts.
I found the beginning of my career path moving south to Virginia with a job designing for the screen print apparel industry. A few years later the product packaging and point-of-purchase industry provided a new level of design skills. Fate brought me to Texas, and soon publishing offered a chance at a new career challenge. Five years and counting. I think I’ll stick with it.
As Art Director for the Quarter Horse News, I am responsible for the magazine’s overall layout and design. I provide photographic retouch and develop editorial illustrations when needed. I also tackle the design needs of the marketing and brand managment teams I even tried my hand at writing a bit and contributed to the QHN blog. Working within an industry with such passionate people feels like a second home to me.
At home I help my husband run the family’s seven generation cattle ranch. We also enjoy a menagerie of companion animals, including two small dogs and three parrots. I’m a self proclaimed “bird nerd” and have been member of several social groups for parrot lovers. Currently, I am a member of the American Federation of Aviculture as well as the Fort Worth Bird Club and the Dallas Bird Society. I also donate my graphic design abilities to a local parrot rescue, Wings of Love Bird Haven, creating Facebook graphics.
My recent obsession with bullet journaling (Bujo) has given me a new outlet for my personal creative energy and has helped me with my writing. Its also given me an outlet for organizing. I love to keep things organized. Bujo has given me better focus on the priorities in my life that help me grow and succeed. When in doubt, write it down.
I really do love art, in all forms and love being able to make my living creating. I generally work alone but love the opportunity to work along side other creatives to accomplish my goals. I’m always trying to learn more about my craft and find myself getting lost in art museums, books and online. We’re living in a remarkably creative age and I’m grateful to be apart of it.
