I was raised with my three siblings on a little hobby farm in Indiana. We had lots of ducks, chickens, bees and one little miniature pony named Bunter; who took the opportunity to nip you any chance he had! Spent most of my time tromping around in barn boots three sizes too big, with my sister and the goats in our flatter than a pancake pasture. We’d build forts, form beautiful mud pie masterpieces, and a favorite was to paddle out to the middle of our pond and purposely test the canoe’s tipping limits. It was a creative mind’s paradise! Always have loved the country girl life and nature. Summertime always brought the 4-H fair, a highlight in our family; when we shined up our best goats for show and framed our finest artwork to compete for those coveted Grand Champion ribbons. Having artist for parents, my Mom, a talented painter and mural artist, and my Dad, a newspaper photo editor, the 4-H fine arts competition was a serious event! As the Grand Champion ribbons rolled in every year; you could say I was pretty good at it too…not to brag!

Years later, in typical Beverly Hillbillies style with animals in tow, and yes… bees included, my family relocated to Adams Center, New York; where my father unwittingly bought the house next to my future high school sweetheart, best friend, and later husband, Jeff.

After high school graduation, I went to Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, where I would later spend a year in Washington, DC taking art classes at the University of Maryland combined with a design and illustration internship with Ogilvy, Adams & Rinehart, a worldwide PR firm. This experience concreted in my love for design and illustration… I knew this was my future and worked hard to learn and hone my skills with the collaboration and tutelage of such talented designers. I later transferred to Oswego State in New York where I obtained my Bachelors in Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Illustration.

My professional career began as a graphic artist in the editorial art department of The Post-Standard in Syracuse, NY, and later transferred to the advertising art department at the newspaper where I found my dream design position. I was responsible for the design of multiple daily, special newspaper and magazine cover fronts, as well advertisements, promotional pieces and illustrations. I savored the daily design challenges and loved to make my clients happy with beautiful design that solved their business needs. Life was complete… or so I thought! Two years later, my oldest son was born and life completely changed. Despite my love for my profession, I had a new and crucial calling in my life. That would close the chapter of my newspaper career, and start me on a new adventure of motherhood and freelance design!

Over the course of the next six years, we added two daughters and another son to our little brood. In the midst of the wonderful, somewhat managed chaos in raising my young family, my freelance design remained a constant; designing yearbooks, logos, brochures, signage, book covers, advertisements, posters, event flyers, and illustrating t-shirt designs. I found myself the go to for all things creative, unique, and a jack of all trades in design as I worked to solve the individual needs of my clients. I once again found my perfect niche.

In 2021, I launched my custom art and design business, Stone Barn Creative to finally encapsulate my freelance work. The name is a little tribute to both my country girl upbringing, and the old 1800’s home on Stone Barn Road that my children did the bulk of their growing up in. It had picturesque views, a pond, and a little stone shed out back where my kids would swing, play in the sandbox, and watch the occasional escape hen from the chicken coop dart by. We would take every family portrait in front of it. Lots of great memories there, and meaningful that my children experienced the country living I so fondly remembered growing up. Definitely my inspiration for incorporating watercolor painting into my custom art offerings. A painting allows you the flexibility to creatively capture these memories exactly the way you remember them, whether it be a special place, house, or even a pet. I love being able to offer that freedom to my clients!

Combined with my wide variety of illustration styles, strong graphic design training, and over 20 years of design experience, I’m able to collaborate with clients to provide both custom art and design with a purpose that meets their needs, and creatively reflects their individual style. If you’re looking for a creative eye to help you out, just give me a shout at StoneBarnCreative@icloud.com and we’ll talk about your project!­­­­­­