About Me
My mission is to inspire and enrich lives by creating art and by empowering creative expression in children and adults. I am an artist and writer in Portland, Oregon. I like to tell stories in both images and words, and specialize in oil paintings, paper collage, and children’s picture books. When not working in my home studio, I can be found creating art “in residency” in Oregon’s schools and libraries, where I visit hundreds of students each year. 

Questions from KIDS:

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Corning: a small town in the southwest corner of Iowa. My dad was a farmer, and my mom was a social worker. On our farm, we grew soy beans and seed corn, and raised cows, pigs, cats, dogs, chickens, and an old horse. Most of my time was spent with my brother ‘explorin’ the creek, the timber, and the various barns, coops, ditches, and fields. Corning itself (population 1600) still retains its Main Street, complete with single-screen movie theater, my favorite soda fountain, and music that wafts over the sidewalks.

Do you have any pets?
My two cats are named Cucamonga and Beazle. Cuci loves to play and chase things and often attacks feet in the middle of the night. Beazle has incredibly soft fur and is more likely to sit on your lap. His favorite things to do are eat and play fetch with his favorite pink ball.

Where do you get your ideas?
I get my ideas from the same places all authors do, and probably the same places you do: everywhere! Things that happen to me, things I overhear or read about in books and newspapers, things I remember from my childhood, and things that kids and adults tell me about. One day I overheard a small boy in the park say, “But ducks don’t have lips!” (What agreat story that would be.)

Do you have any more books for us?

Are you ever going to write another book?
Yes! I have many more stories to tell, but books take a long time to create and to publish.  You'll be the first to know when my next book is coming out!

What’s your favorite book?
I don’t know how anyone can pick one favorite book. My favorite authors right now are Laurie Halse Anderson (Yellow Fever), Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games), and M.T. Anderson (The Astonishing Life of Octavion Nothing). The book I’ve read the most times in my life is The Secret Garden, and the second is probably Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. When I was younger, I read Dr. Seuss books repeatedly as well as No More Elephants! and now I also like the books of Berkeley Breathed, Kevin Henkes, and Brian Pinkney.

For adult books, some recent favorites are Haruki Murakami (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles) and Jose Saramago (Blindness). For sheer beauty of language, I love The God of Small Things and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, and most of Charles Dickens’ books.

Do you like making books?
I think it may be, quite possibly, the best job in the world.

What’s your favorite month?
September. Falling leaves, cooling dusks, and the momentum of school starting (not to mention shiny new school supplies.)

Questions from ADULTS:

Were you always a writer and artist?
I always loved books, and devoured them from an early age. The first original story I remember writing/drawing was in Mrs. Morris’ 7th grade TAG class. That story was called “The Very Big Nose” (of Annabel Rose) and I felt a real sense of accomplishment that I can still conjure today. Around this age, I recall thinking very clearly that “when I grow up, I’m going to be an author, an artist, an actress, or a pianist.”

A few other Aha! moments happened as I got older. In high school English, Mr. Nett had us journal every day, and that practice continues to be central to my writing life. I discovered oil painting in college (American University in Washington, DC) and immediately fell in love with it.  I had the great fortune to travel to Italy and West Africa in college, and these experiences expanded my sight--and influenced my palette--for many years to come. Picture books were always in the back of my mind, and I wrote the first draft of the Rain Stomper the year I graduated.  Though it was only when I moved to Portland in 2002 that I finally started meeting “real” artists and writers--and trying to become one myself.

What’s your favorite medium?
Oil painting remains my favorite; I love the disciplined process as well as the fluid richness of the paint and even the names: cadmium, alizarin, cerulean. But there are others that I like to use: magazine paper collage, paper cutting (similar to woodblock prints), acrylics and watercolors, as well as papier-mache and recycled art. One of the best perks of being an artist, after all, is the ability to experiment.

Who is your favorite artist?
Picasso and Dr. Seuss may be tied for my favorite artists of all time, but I also like Matisse (especially the paper cuts), Rembrandt, Nikki McClure, and Justin Bua. While I occasionally go to museums, I am most excited by contemporary and street art--which seems more alive, and more accessible to a range of people. The art of picture books continues to expand and inspire; I especially like collage illustrators like Steve Jenkins and Bryan Collier and Javaka Steptoe.

What else do you like to do?
In the rainy season, I fall into deep creative gear, spending most of my time reading and writing, making art, and playing board and card games. In the summer (like most Portlanders), I spend as much time outside as I can: hiking, biking, Ultimate Frisbee, running, picnicking, and attending the variety of festivals and fairs in the parks. One or two days I week you’ll find me in schools, libraries, or camps teaching arts and making murals. I like any form of crafts (save scrapbooking) and especially like making art with other people. I also enjoy crossword puzzles, movies, avocados, Oolong tea, and making soups and cookies.

What advice would you give to aspiring creatives?
1) Write whatever you want, as much as you can. Write about things that you’re passionate about, about your dreams, about the things that happen to you, about the things you remember from childhood, about conversations you overhear, about problems in the news. Write, write, write. If you keep a journal with you at all times, this makes the writing that much easier. If you are an artist, follow the same advice, but substitute the word draw. Draw, draw, draw.

2) Take yourself seriously and commit to your business. The best professional decision I made was interning for children’s author Elizabeth Rusch, where I learned how to research, interview, transcribe, find and query publishers, edit, and generally approach my writing with more gravity. Other ways to support yourself: join organizations and list-serves in your industry, find or form a critique group, and learn everything you can about your business. A freelance career is very similar to running a small business, in terms of the hours, the returns, and the many hats you’ll wear.