I was born and raised in Western Montana. Although I spent a lot of time drawing, most of my childhood involved studying music. It wasn't until I went to college that I discovered my passion for the visual arts. I studied graphic design at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, and completed my BFA in Illustration at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah in 1996.

After my undergraduate studies, I worked in-house producing educational software and books for children. For four years I spent my days at the office illustrating and animating, and my nights in my studio painting personal work for my portfolio. By the end of 1999, I became established enough as a free lance illustrator to quit my day job and illustrate full-time.

In 2005, I began teaching part-time in the art department at BYU-Idaho and discovered my second passion—I love to teach! So, I went back to school and earned my MFA at the Art Institute of Boston in 2009. I now teach full-time in the illustration department at California State University Fullerton.

I continue to work as an illustrator creating books for children as well as painting personal work. As much as possible I get outdoors and enjoy nature—taking huge numbers of photographs of plants, animals, birds, and bugs. I love traveling, experiencing new things, and most of all—spending time with family and friends.