I was born in 1987, and have been painting ever since I could hold a brush. I was raised predominantly in Northern Virginia, however as my family was with the State Department I spent some of my formative years in Saudi Arabia and Tanzania. I began to think seriously about becoming an artist while in high school, and decided to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art, where I graduated Cum Laude with a BFA in illustration. However, I graduated in the spring of 2009, when our country was experiencing a severe economic crisis. With so many experienced illustrators out of work, I realized that my drawing abilities were not up to par. So I went to attend the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, from 2011-2014, and fell in love with the traditional, more academic style of painting. I finally learned the techniques necessary to explore my ideas, and, sometimes, just to paint something pretty. Now I'm back out in the world, and striving to make a living off of doing what I love.