My mom and grandmas were strong, smart, loving, and creative women who influenced and molded me into who I am today. I am so lucky and grateful to have had these beautiful souls in my life. One of these women was my Grandma Sheila. She just always really listened to me as a child more than most adults ever do. I passed this on when raising my children, listening to them and never forgetting what it feels like to be a child. She believed in unicorns and helped my vivid imagination flourish. This amazing person was also an artist and a collector of cool items that she kept in these glass curio cabinets. I would look through the glass (which was locked), and she would leave the bottom drawer unlocked specifically with items I could play with that were similar to the art behind the glass. What a wonderful person she was! Two things I remember vividly were Kewpie dolls inspired by the artist Rose O'Neill, and Big Eyes paintings created by Margaret Keane.

Fast forward a few decades to where I begin painting my whimsical creatures. I really enjoy each unique animal that I create, and they are always best sellers. So what does this have to do with my upbringing? Well, one day I had an epiphany, it really hit me quite suddenly and once it did, it seemed so obvious! I realized that I was creating these animals with the influence from my Grandma Sheila. These creatures have big and beautiful expressive eyes impishly looking to the side. This revelation made me so incredibly happy. No wonder these animals are loved by me first, as well as others... they are made with my heart from a whimsical and magical place where a child's imagination still lives. When you get a chance, check them out in my shop.