I’m a visual artist, jewelry designer, and writer with a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies (psychology/sociology). I work on a variety of creative projects, and I tend to take an interdisciplinary approach to art as well. I like to make connections and cross mediums to bring my projects to life. I love creating all sorts of pretty things, and I tend to put a creative spin on just about everything I do.

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As a fine artist, I've worked with a number of artistic mediums, including graphite and colored pencils, white pencil on black paper, pen and ink, pastels, charcoal, watercolor, gouache, and acrylic; and I've dabbled in a variety of styles, including photorealism, impressionism, abstract, mixed media, collage, and illustration. I've worked on several commissioned projects: painted murals for a hotel, painted festive chairs for a restaurant, and sketched portraits of high-level military and civilian US Navy personnel, which earned me a commendation letter from a Navy Captain.​

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I also do freelance graphic design, front-end web design, and other visual media.

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My artistic style pairs realism with bright, cheerful colors and delicate details. I like painting pretty flowers and making feminine jewelry. But I also like creating projects that have a deeper meaning underneath. My inner rebel loves subversive art–art that juxtaposes beauty and danger, art that disrupts the status quo, art that challenges society and makes you think. This is the inspiration behind my film, art prints, and Fable Books.​​​​

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I’m attracted to sparkly things like a moth to a flame, so designing jewelry came naturally to me. For my Sparkling Vine jewelry line, I connect the old with the new by reimagining upcycled wine corks and chandelier crystals as pieces of wearable art. Each jewelry collection is intertwined with vineyards, gardens, and wine culture. My jewelry has appeared in several media outlets, including an on-air interview with the KSVY 91.3 Morning Show in Sonoma, CA and a feature story in my hometown newspaper about a line of necklaces I designed for charity, raising over $3000. My work has been featured in Forbes, PBS, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and other publications, and it's been displayed at CK Art, a fine art gallery in Sacramento, CA. Sparkling Vine jewelry has previously been sold at Tobin James Winery in Paso Robles, CA and in several other wineries and gift shops. Currently, jewelry is exclusively available through my online shop.

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I'm also a miniaturist and new filmmaker. For minis, I work in 1:24 scale, meaning one-half inch equals one foot in real life. Most of my builds would fit in a shoe box–they're pretty small. I started building miniatures with no particular plan… and then one day I got an idea for a story to go along with a spooky little cottage I built. Film seemed like the best format to make my idea come to life, but I had two big problems–no experience and no budget. So I gave myself a mini crash-course in filmmaking, spent hours researching, and filmed it in my garage. My first film, Delicate Little Flowers: A Feminist Fable, is a short story about fairness and freedom for all. The multimedia aspect of filmmaking was a fun challenge, and I managed all aspects of production: wrote the screenplay, built the set, filmed scenes, designed graphics, sourced music, mixed sound, and edited the final cut of the 14-minute film. I paid my kitty, Mau, in treats for her work as voiceover catress and executive purrducer. She had a special claws in her contract. I may be biased, but I think you'll find her debut purrformance pawsitively cativating. Two paws up. Unfurgettable.

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As you can see, I like to use words creatively too. Purrhaps a bit too much at times.

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I am a published writer and author of the feminist fables you see here. I'm also working on a non-fiction book about women's empowerment which I'll eventually finish. I started the Beauty Is Inside blog (now closed) and Facebook page over a decade ago, and I've been posting about feminism and equality ever since. That community has grown to over 230,000, with hundreds of posts going viral and a recent post reaching 4.5 million people. I've received over 100 messages from readers about about how my work has helped and inspired them. Two universities have shared my writing: the University of North Dakota's women's center used my blog as a resource, and a Westminster College (Utah) sociology course used one of my articles as required reading. Gloria Steinem even recognized my work in an inscription.  

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I believe that we’re all sisters, not competition, and that we rise by lifting each other up. My goal is to inspire us all to feel strong and beautiful, both inside and out. ​

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Welcome! I'm so glad you're here. :)

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