About Me

Two of my favorite things are books and cats.

I've had 15 books published, and I've been owned by 8 cats.

The cat beside my drawing table is Mollie, and the one on top of it is Lily, who lived to be 22. She was very serious.

I am a Floridian.

I grew up in Miami, Florida. When I married, I moved all over the USA with my husband and children. Now I live on the west coast of Florida next to Blackburn Bay and walk to the beach to watch the sun setting into the Gulf of Mexico.

I studied painting at Eliot McMurrough School of Art in Indialantic, Florida, got a degree in art and art history from Florida State University, and taught Children's Book Illustration at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. For nine years, I was Florida's SCBWI Illustrator Coordinator.

I draw or paint almost everyday.

My pictures are of things in my life - the house and yard, plants and flowers. I also draw from imagination - characters, places, and designs.

Sketchbooks are where I have fun. I don't worry about getting things perfect. Looking and making marks and laying down color have brought me joy all my life. I hope art makes you happy, too.

Email me!

studioshute@comcast.net