Under the tutelage of James McCarty, my Wilmington High School art teacher, I discovered an aptitude and a love for portraiture. The school display cases often featured my work, and I sold my first painting to a member of the faculty. Fearing it would be an unsteady income, I did not pursue a career in art, but chose, rather, to pursue a business degree. While attending Southern State Community College, I worked as a secretary and supplemented that income with several art commissions--mainly watercolor paintings and pencil drawings. I made the switch to oil paints when a friend gave me a starter set as a Christmas gift, and it quickly became my favorite medium.
In 1994, I became both a wife and a real estate appraiser licensed by the State of Ohio. Between my busy career and the interest my husband and I shared in real estate renovation, there was very little time left for artwork. While I still accepted a few portrait commions on the side, the majority of my energies were focused in those other areas. The fine art prints I saw displayed in many of the homes I appraised, however, made me aspire to exercise more of my own creativity. In 2002, My husband and I opened our own appraisal business in Southwest Ohio, but I also began dedicating more time to painting. Since then, in addition to several commissions, I have done several paintings for my own collection and have begun participating in local arts and craft shows. A few years ago, one of my originals was purchased by Southern State Community College for their permanent collection.
Over the years, my interests began to include graphic art, such as designing business logos and personalized greeting cards. Encouraged by the local response to these creative expressions, and at the urging of a local librarian, I decided to take a look at writing and illustrating professionally. I joined a local writer's group, which led to a fellow member sending me a link to a small publishing company that was seeking submissions for a collection of short stories. The topic was near and dear to my heart; so I, feverishly typed and submitted my short story "Road Trip to Albany." Mountain Girl Press of Bristol, Virginia, included my story in the 2006 release of "The Zinnia Tales." The following year, the same publisher included another story of mine, "The Baker's Cabinet," in the collection of short stories that we called "Self-Rising Flowers."
Tammy Robinson Smith, publisher of Mountain Girl Press, was such a joy to work with that I submitted to her the unpublished mid-grade novel that I wrote in 2006. Along with that novel, I included a print of the painting that I did as proposed cover art. At the time, my novel did not meet the specific submission guidelines of Mountain Girl Press; but Tammy was very interested in the cover art. She contacted me about working for her as a cover artist. Since 2007, I have enjoyed producing the artwork for four books published by Mountain Girl Press as well as six books by Little Creek Books, a new division of Mountain Girl Press. I am excited to be gearing up to create the cover art and illustrations for an entire children's book. I will also be helping to graphically enhance the illustrations for another upcoming children's book.
With the creation of Little Creek Books, came a wider genre of desired submissions. At the publisher's suggestion, I pulled out my 2006 novel. With fresh eyes, I made several revisions and additions and submitted it to the publisher for consideration. Just recently, I was excited to learn that plans have been made for Little Creek Books to publish "Malina and the Lost Art" in the near future. I am excited and very nervous. It has long been a dream of mine to be the author of a novel that is--not only published--but is also enjoyed. My stack of handwritten notebooks date back to before I was sixteen years old. There are several "novels" that were not even half finished before I realized that I was attempting to write about something that I had no real knowledge of. In "Malina and the Lost Art," I have used characters, places, and events that are very real to me; although it is a fictional novel. I have combined my knowledge of real estate remodeling, title research, the banking industry and geneology research with the many things that I remember about being a twelve year old girl. "Malina and the Lost Art" is a novel about a young girl who makes an amazing discovery--one that awakens both her nostalgia and her sluething skills, and leads her to solve a century old mystery.
2011 has been a busy year. In addition to the five covers I have done so far this year, I also produced the artwork that is being featured in some of the advertising for a Dayton area prosthetic and orthotic facility. Fidelity Orthopedic, Inc. is a fourth generation company that, since 1929, has been helping their neighbors recover from life-altering events, and go on with their lives...uninterrupted. It is my hope that my portrait skills, in this and future Fidelity advertisements, will touch and inspire those who see them.
