I WAS BORN IN RENO NEVADA. I HAD MY FIRST DESIRE TO BE AN ARTIST AT THE AGE OF 4. MY UNCLE WAS COLORING WITH ME IN MY COLORING BOOK AND I REMEMBER THINKING IT WAS SOME KIND OF MAGIC HOW HE COULD BLEND COLORS SO GENTLY OR HARSHLY TO GET DIFFERENT LOOKS TO HIS PICTURES, AND I DEEPLY DESIRED TO BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME.

I BEGAN DOING ‘REAL ’ ARTWORK AT THE AGE OF 13, ENCOURAGED BY THE ART TEACHER AT MY JUNIOR HIGH, TO COME AFTER SCHOOL AND PAINT IF I WISHED SINCE WE 7TH GRADERS WEREN’T ALLOWED ELECTIVES UNTIL 8TH GRADE. SHE SAW ME HOVERING ROUND THE CLASSROOM ALL THE TIME AND WAS GENEROUS ...

I WAS BORN IN RENO NEVADA. I HAD MY FIRST DESIRE TO BE AN ARTIST AT THE AGE OF 4. MY UNCLE WAS COLORING WITH ME IN MY COLORING BOOK AND I REMEMBER THINKING IT WAS SOME KIND OF MAGIC HOW HE COULD BLEND COLORS SO GENTLY OR HARSHLY TO GET DIFFERENT LOOKS TO HIS PICTURES, AND I DEEPLY DESIRED TO BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME.

I BEGAN DOING ‘REAL ’ ARTWORK AT THE AGE OF 13, ENCOURAGED BY THE ART TEACHER AT MY JUNIOR HIGH, TO COME AFTER SCHOOL AND PAINT IF I WISHED SINCE WE 7TH GRADERS WEREN’T ALLOWED ELECTIVES UNTIL 8TH GRADE. SHE SAW ME HOVERING ROUND THE CLASSROOM ALL THE TIME AND WAS GENEROUS ENOUGH TO STAY LATE SO I COULD PAINT.

THE VERY FIRST MEDIA I LEARNED WAS OILS. I CONTINUED ART COURSES ALL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, ALONG WITH DRAFTING. I ENTERED THE ACADEMY OF ART IN SAN FRANCISCO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL TO CONTINUE STUDYING ART.

LATER WAS MARRIED AND HAD MY 3 CHILDREN AND CHOSE TO BE A STAY AT HOME MOM, AND TO BRING IN EXTRA MONEY RAN AN IN-HOME DAYCARE, WHICH LEFT, BASICALLY, NO TIME FOR ART. ALTHOUGH I DID MANAGE TO DO SOME ORIGINAL T-SHIRTS AND SELL THEM LOCALLY AND I DID A 3 WALL MURAL IN MY CHILDREN’S ROOM AND ANOTHER 12 FOOT BY 12 FOOT MURAL IN MY LIVING ROOM.

WHEN THE CHILDREN WERE GROWN ENOUGH, I RE-ATTENDED SCHOOL.AT MTI IN SACRAMENTO I TOOK COMPUTER AND ART CLASSES. THEN I RE-ENTERED THE WORK ARENA,

I WORKED AT SMW COMMUNICATIONS AS A PRODUCTION ASSISTANT. WHILE THERE I DID BOTH COMPUTER LAYOUT AND TRADITIONAL LAYOUT, AS COMPUTER GRAPHICS WERE STILL IN THEIR INFANCY

BOTH NEW AND OLD METHODS WERE EMPLOYED, I CUT RUBYLITHS AND OTHER TRADITIONAL PASTE-UPS, AS WELL AS DID LAYOUT IN PAGEMAKER. I WAS IN CHARGE OF ALL THE PRODUCTION ASPECTS OF 2 MAGAZINES, ‘DANCE TEACHER NOW’ AND ‘STAGE’. AN INTERNATIONAL BALLET MAGAZINE AND A LOCAL AND NATIONAL THEATRE MAGAZINE.

SMW SOON MOVED TO NORTH CAROLINA AND I FOUND A NEW HOME AT CALIFORNIA MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATIION AS THE COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/ART DIRECTOR.

WHILE I WAS THERE, I WORE ANY HAT THAT FIT. I WAS IN CHARGE OF ALL ASPECTS REGARDING DESIGN, PRODUCTION, LAYOUT AND OVERSEEING PRINT OF A BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER AND A MONTHLY MAGAZINE AS WELL AS ANY OTHER MATERIALS THAT NEEDED PRINTING…. BUSINESS CARDS, INVITATIONS, SEMINARS, EVENTS, ADVERTISEMENTS ET. AL.

WHILE AT CALIFORNIA MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH 2 IMMUNE DYSFUNCTIONS, AND WAS FORCED TO STOP WORK. FOR A PERIOD OF NEALY 2 YEARS I WAS BED-BOUND. I CONTINUE TO HAVE THE ILLNESS, AND SO THIS IS A PERFECT WAY FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO SELL MY WORK AND MAKE A BIT OF MONEY AND YET NOT STRESS MYSELF TOO MUCH. AND SO HERE I AM.

I AM CURRENTLY DOING MAINLY DIGITAL ART USING PHOTOSHOP. I AM 100% SELF TAUGHT USING PHOTOSHOP. IT IS A WHOLE NEW DIMENSION OF ART THAT I AM EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW.

I HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY LOOKING AT MY ARTWORK AND PASS ALONG THE INFO TO OTHERS, SO THEY TOO CAN TAKE A PEEK!! THANK YOU. TAMMERA