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I was born and grew up in Pennsylvania...moved to California in 1974 and the two are about as different as they are far apart from one another. I feel very blessed to have experienced both lifestyles. In fact, I tend to bounce from one coast to the other every few years. Perhaps I just can't make up my mind. When I'm in Pa., I dream of the cool beach breezes of central California, the scent of scrub oak as you drive along the Ventura Highway, the sights and sounds of Los Angeles with all its charms and faults (pun intended). When I last lived in California, I longed for the crisp smell of autumn in the east, the horses and buggies (I'm smack dab in the middle of Amish country), robin redbreasts on a fresh spring lawn, the smell of new mown hay from the farmer's fields. It's a helluva thing being torn by two worlds. I grew up thinking there was a dragon across the street that slept inside the hillside. When it thundered during storms, I imagined it was his snoring as he slept, perhaps tossing with troubled dreams (you'd be worried too, if no one believed in you). On summer nights, alive with the sparkle of lightning bugs, it seemed as if the countryside was decorated with fairy lights and that I was the only one who saw their true nature. I suppose this fantasy world has followed me into adulthood, infusing my drawings (and life!) with a whimsical side. As you might surmise from my current artwork, I have pets. Haven't counted them all lately but I keep tripping over 4 or 5 of the wee beasties. I'm one of "those" people, I'm afraid. If I hear strangers in the grocery store talking about how their cat had another batch of kittens, I'm apt to launch verbose on the evils of not spaying & neutering their pets. Yes, I do carry flyers about the evils of puppy mills in my backpack and feel no qualms of shame in handing them out to all and sundry so 'WARE! I have four children (2 each, in case you wondered) and thanks to my eldest daughter, am also learning grandma skills at a very tender age. Ahem. I've had an interesting life so far, and have always been very independent (when your ex-husband isn't mechanically inclined, you learn how to do things yourself) and I just LOVE to travel and see new places. I grew up on a steady diet of books, especially Greek Mythology, so my next dream trip would be to Greece to see Mt. Olympus where the gods live (unless they've moved to Jersey). I have a background in art, graphics (worked as a stripper for commercial printers back in the days before Quark Express software and no, a stripper isn't as exotic a job as it sounds) and marketing. I've also had jobs like folding hot diapers in a laundry and working as a video store manager (ok, I love old movies so it wasn't really work). I've tried to teach my children that it doesn't matter what work you do as long as it's honest...and if you really like it, so much the better! I admit, I often add some element of my own beliefs and values into my art when no one is watching. And you thought it was just silly stuff! After all, if you can't use your life's work as a platform for reform, what good is it? If you're truly bored, you can read my journal. No one ever really reads a resume or bio anyway. I think you can get just as much insight about someone from reading a blog or diary. It kinda feels like you're snooping a little, making it a lot more fun!
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