was wonderful enough to get an amazing interview with the ever deviant and ever delightful . Awesomesauce all around.

I now present to you, complete with thumbs, !


Firstly, Please will you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm a thirty year old freelance artist. I live in Utah with my family and a dog that's currently outnumbered 3 to 1 by cats. I spend my days split up between doing the art, framing and matting artwork for shows (not just my own, but several other artists), conventions, building a business and taking care of my kids. I'm constantly on the go, as many friends can tell you, and just love being able to devote my life to the things I enjoy most.

So, When did you first become interested in art?

According to my family I've always drawn. I'm one of those fun, fun people who can't seem to remember anything past a few days ago, so I'll have to take their word for it! It seems art has always been a part of my life. Before my mother went to law school she was an actress and a costumer, and did some pretty amazing artwork. My father currently teaches at a university in mississippi... theater arts. He's a writer, musician, sound guy, and if you name it, he can build it. He'd take me to art museums, galleries, plays, musicals, anything at all that was facinating and wonderful to see. My mother saw to it that I was enrolled in the arts institute as soon as they would take me.

So basically I grew up immersed in the art world and was a lost cause from the start.

When did you first become aware of deviantArt?

Sometime in 2003. I was first a member of elfwood, but was growing a little restless with the limitations of the site. A friend suggested that I give deviantart a try, and I said... why not? Little did I realize that this site would suit my needs almost exactly, and I've greatly enjoyed being a part of it since.

What are your five favorite pieces out of your gallery?



What is your favourite theme for your art, and why?

Well it's not my most often used theme (let's face it. I've only done it once or twice), but I do enjoy twisting common myths and fairytale creatures into something new and humorous. While I don't do it very often, it makes me laugh and enjoy the painting so much, that I appreciate it more then the plethora of mainstream fantasy things I do. There's just something appealing about taking a simple, run of the mill mermaid and turning her into the truly unexpected.

Plus I really love it when I see people burst out laughing when they look at drawings like that.


Where does all your inspiration come from?

Various places really. It depends on the moment and what's going on in my life at the time or what the requirements of the commissioner/editor are. Most of the time I'm not in control of my subject matter, I'm simply taking the stories/concepts I'm given and do my best to bring them to life.

I'm currently doing a series of flower fairies for a book, and so I spend a LOT of time in nurseries, in the gardens and browsing through botany books to get a better understanding of just what makes each flower unique. And then I try to incorporate that in my designs.



With my personal work, it's a little different. Often times it comes from dreams, and I tend to blame those on doing something silly like eating pizza right before I went to bed.

But more than anything else, my muses are who and what inspire me. I'm not talking about some fictional women in greece who flitter about invisibly. My muses are flesh and blood and very tangible. Each one of my friends has been a source of serious inspiration for me. Fully half of the work I've done has been inspired by a friend, and usually drawn specifically for that friend as a thank you for enriching my life.


Were you Artistic in School? whats your educational background (if any) in art?

I took art in high school like most kids who want an easy A. But I also spent night courses as I was growing up at the Visual Arts Institute in utah. I have to say that's where the basic foundation for most of my knowledge came from.

Over the past few years I've taken to learning from my mentors, in an attempt to really see just what I can do if I push myself. I'm incredibly grateful to them, particularly Mike Dringenberg, because he's taken the time to really show me how to spread my wings and try new things out. We started meeting up every weekend to do 'art jams', and that's when he began giving me lessons in watercolor techniques. It opened my eyes to all new ways of thinking and seeing, and has been a pure joy.

You'll notice that I talk more about mentors then about the school experience. I'll be honest with you. School was great. I loved it. I remember my teachers, I remember the endless exercises in lighting, still life, shading, composition, perspective, etc. etc. But I honestly think that until you are ready to let go of your preconceived notions of 'I do it because I am an artist and this is my style', school won't do much to help you. That's how I was in college, and because of that I feel that my real education came years later when I let go of the reigns and asked a fellow artist to help me. And I've gone off topic I believe, so let's continue!

Do you have any more gems hidden away somewhere?

I keep a horde of gemstones in the back, to keep the dragons happy. Always handy to have a few around for reference.


Where are you planning on going in the future with your art?

Well right now I have a few pieces published in several editions of Baen's Universe (a fantasy magazine), and have some illustration work in an anthology that's coming out next month. I'm planning on continuing as I have been, working with publishers and friends, and letting my art sort of... run amuk. Publishing wise I've made no major plans, aside from a fairy book that's coming out next month as well, done in collaboration with *MisticUnicorn. Otherwise I'd really like to take some of the more serious ideas lurking around in my head and see if I can bring them to life. I'll be honest, I'm deathly sick of fairies and butterflies and unicorns and things of that nature. I'd like to leap forwards into a whole new world of fantasy that isn't quite so ... fluffy.

My partner and I are in the process of putting together a BJD company, so in the near future we will be opening that up as well. It's been a crazy run, with one thing after another jumping into the mix, and keeping up with our families and individual artistic commitments.

Other than that, the sky's the limit.


Thank you so much for a wonderfully in-depth interview. You are truly made of WIN!

Now for some pieces picked from =mistressofspam's favorites!: