Acylic portrait artist Monica de Gastyne was born in Virginia in 1984. She grew up in Springfield with her three sisters and their mother. Ms. de Gastyne keeps her maiden name for her artwork to honor the heratige from which her talents came. She was in the 1st grade when she began drawing detailed portraits. Since then, she has experimented with many different media, settled on acrylics, and is well underway to perfecting her technique and style.

Monica gained a firm foundation in drawing early on. She uses an approach to drawing the light rather than the object, granting the ability to draw just about anything she sees. She is self taught beyond her high school art education.