I was born in San Francisco, CA in 1979, and have gravitated towards art since childhood. My first illustration job was probably a poster for Zachary's Pizza in Berkeley; in a regular contest they have - I was around 10. Early influences included Shel Silverstein, Lynda Barry, and Adrian Tomine. I dreamed of illustrating children's books as a teenager and during a summer in New York worked at Books of Wonder, the phenomenal children's bookstore that was depicted as Meg Ryan's little bookshop in You've Got Mail.

After graduating from UCSC I applied to several illustration programs and was close to attending, but changed course and applied to Parsons for graphic design instead. While at Parsons I interned at a small animation studio in New York and then Penguin (Dutton Children's Books), which was wonderful. Soon after I was hired in the marketing design department at Penguin Young Readers Group. This job was probably the most valuable of my career to date because it exposed me to nearly every Penguin children's book released between 2004 and 2007 (and many older books too).

Being in New York exposed me to more than the publishing world and while working at McGraw-Hill on 7th Avenue (AKA Fashion Avenue) as a book cover designer I began taking classes at F.I.T for surface/textile design. The prints people were wearing on the streets of New York were just exploding with color and texture by 2008, and I became interested in making them myself. I found the process of creating a repeat quite enjoyable and even meditative. This along with a class on silk painting (an ancient, versatile and beautiful medium), proved to be my entrance back to illustration.

Now back on the west coast, I work primarily with ink on paper, dye and resists on silk, and Adobe Illustrator. I love taking a story or source of inspiration and creating my own visual perspective on it – for me there is no better way to connect with the world. If you have any comments or questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I love commissions, collaborating, and sharing ideas…Thank you!