Hometown Orange County, California

Career path "I sold my first paintings to family when I was in elementary school! For college I chose the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). I became a designer and worked in the fashion industry for eight years. When I became a mom my daughters and artwork became my top priorities. For the past three years my full attention has gone into painting and teaching art."

Artistic Influences "John Singer Sargent has been my favorite artist for as long as I can remember. I also love the portraits of Everett Raymond Kinstler. I was in a library in Indiana when I stumbled across his book Painting Portraits in 1995. I still refer to his book for inspiration. My art is also influenced by fashion, interior decorating, beautiful gardens...I love it all!

Why do you create? "Well, when you're born an artist, you really don't have a choice. It's what makes me happy, and hopefully makes others happy. I also believe if we had to leave own homes quickly and could only take a few items, one of the things we would grab is our original art."

• Fees are for individuals. Additional figure on canvas will be reduced by 25%.
• Pets may be added to the portrait for an additional 20-40%
• A deposit of 40% will be due upon signing the agreement and the balance upon satisfactory completion.
• Travel, lodging, framing, applicable sales tax, and shipping expenses are in addition to the prices listed above.
• Prices effective January 1, 2017