About Cristina

I grew up in a home where creativity and books were given more weight than just about anything except for maybe sports. As the daughter of a fine artist, art museums were a huge part of my upbringing, and I’ve always been inspired by my museum explorations. I come from a long line of handcrafters and artists. Needle crafts were a large part of my childhood. There wasn’t a needlepoint that I didn’t finish. I loved to draw, and I doodled my way through all the college prep courses I was told I had to take. I can’t count the number of Garth Williams master studies I did as a kid. I’ve always been inspired by illustrators, by shapes and colors that tell stories.

My story is not uncommon. It took me a long time to circle back to my initial dreams of illustrating and creating art, even surrounded by creativity as I was.

After pivoting from a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine, I studied art and literature with the intent to write and illustrate children’s books and teach. I worked as a community journalist for many years and earned an MFA in fiction writing and poetry. I taught college-level English for a number of years, only to return to visual arts and illustration where I know I was meant to be all along.