Illustrator, Art Educator, Arts Advocate - Art, in all of its beautiful and complex forms, is the soul of culture and the cornerstone of the human experience. Phylicia Rashad puts it very succinctly, “Before a child talks they sing, before they write they draw. As soon as they stand they dance. Art is fundamental to human expression." I have invested my life in the pursuit of art making. Many of those years were, and are, occupied with learning. The concept of educator as lead learner and chief collaborator has driven my artistic experience. I have come to learn that through the arts we learn about the human condition in conjunction with others causing us to live more enriched, social, and equitable lives. Constantly searching for a delivery mechanism for my artistic philosophy, I have gone back to my beginning. Searching for that place I first experienced art as a key component of my life, I circled back and decided to take on what I have always wanted to be; a children's book illustrator.Teaching is in my blood, and I believe it is my calling. Book illustration is the method that enlivened me. I wish to spread that love for art and writing, vision and language, the essence of great adventure, story, spirit, and humanity.