My in-depth study with artists and designers, including fine artist Bernhard Pfriem, graphic design icon Milton Glaser, and internationally acclaimed fiber artist Sheila Hicks profoundly shaped my work. Sheila Hicks later hired me to work with her on a boutique New York textile and fashion magazine. Working alongside Hicks, and with the Color Association of the US, influenced my understanding of pattern, color, and texture and shaped the way I think about the relationship between fine art, design, and everyday objects.

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My interest in writing led me to work at Scribner's Book Publishing Company in NYC, before I moved on to work in advertising agencies stateside and abroad. I later founded the award-winning Yellow Dog Design Group (YDDG) in Philadelphia. Throughout my advertising career, my design work received regional and international recognition.

 

While running YDDG, I taught creative thinking and design at Villanova University and other Philadelphia-area universities as an adjunct professor. Today I extend my love of working with young people by mentoring aspiring artists through my consultancy, Art Careers and Education (ACE). 

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My work brings together a lifelong art practice with a deep love for story, an international perspective, and years in art direction where I learned the power of words and images working in concert. Together, these experiences shape the way I tell visual stories. 

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Education

I earned a BA in Studio Art and Biochemistry with Honors from Middlebury College, a master's in English Literature through Oxford University's Lincoln College and Middlebury's Bread Loaf School of English, and an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.