Beginnings
I am a second generation Angeleno and the oldest of four children. My dad was a candy manufacturer and my mom was a consummate volunteer and later a successful fundraiser. My best childhood memories include riding waves with my Dad at Santa Monica beach and watching movies at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. I attended the local elementary school and then Marlborough School—an excellent all girls high school. There I met friends for life—and, in the process, received a great education. Growing up in a large, boisterous family, my room was a sanctuary—a space for reading, friends and daydreaming.
Family
I loved raising three boys. Since I didn’t work till they were older, I was able to walk them to and from school, go to all their games, hang out at different parks, take hikes and even bake cookies. After my marriage ended, I found a wonderful home in the area with a trail at the end of the street that led directly to school. When the kids were in junior high, we started having in-home art classes after school. I studied Art History in college but now I realized I loved to create art too. The teacher encouraged me to apply and then go to design school. I picked a very challenging program at Art Center. As the only mom with kids in my class, I had a unique perspective. My boys youthful, original take on things influenced my designs. For example, I integrated trays into a table I designed so they could use them to do homework wherever they sat.
Education
I got a taste of the Midwest at Principia College located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River. One of the most memorable classes involved a trip to Chicago to see the works of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. That trip piqued my interest in architecture and design. Twenty-seven years later I earned a second degree from Art Center College of Design in Environmental Design. The experience culminated in all expense paid trips to Milan and New York to exhibit a table I designed. I was one of five students chosen by Art Center to go and represent the school.
Career
Immediately after college, I worked as a tax paralegal in the early days of ERISA and then moved to the benefits department at Johnson & Higgins. There I worked for a talented communicator who later started a new communications company. After having my second child I decided to be a full time mom. Twenty years later, I started designing clothes—pants, skirts, shirts and stoles—inspired by a trip to Vietnam. A few years later, I was hired as the graphic designer for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. I believe in the importance of free, public libraries and loved helping to communicate the library programs to the public—especially the children’s reading programs and the ALOUD program for adults. More recently I managed the annual giving program at Braille Institute—a great cause. I Ieft Braille to pursue my own art projects.
Volunteering
After the civil unrest in 1992, I wanted to help those affected by the devastation. For five years, I supported a pre-school in Southeast Los Angeles. I brought crafts and snacks once a week and during the holidays I organized churches to give gifts to the families in the area. In my own community, when my kids entered elementary school, I helped write, design and edit the school newsletter. Learning about desktop publishing was fun and our paper had an impact on the school. For a number of years I helped raise funds for two homeless services organizations in my area—serving on the board and using my graphic design skills.