Dorothy

Dorothy's first creations started with a box of crayons or "colors" and were probably a harbinger of things to come. From humorous hand-drawn lemonade stand signs to carefully shaded and textured work in coloring books, her work has always varied between marketing and fine art. High school and college were no different, as she transitioned frequently between focused art class projects and a dizzying amount of illustration and design for student group marketing materials.

She graduated from Georgetown University as a theology major, which honed her skills as a clever writer and an artist with a flair for symbolism. Following two years working in Hollywood, Dot was offered and took a position with Imperial Toy Corporation, where her life resembled that of Tom Hanks in "BIG". There she managed multiple product lines through design, pricing and production and became a patented artist. Her designs and art direction provided several of Imperial Toy's leading brands with the artistry needed to stay fresh and relevant and led to increased placement amongst industry leading vendors Toys 'R' Us, Walmart, Target and Dollar stores around the country. Think it must be easy to design and package toys to sell under a buck? Think again....

More recently, Dot's freelance work has focused on applying her skills as an artist for practical application amongst a variety of merchandise. Her design experience includes logo creation, original illustrations/fine art, layout and design for various industries and personal commissions. She frequently collaborates with other artists and has recently created an online studio offering a range of specialty / custom printed materials. Independent projects have included portraiture, printed wedding materials, and event invitations. Although she enjoys her work as a commissioned artist, her favorite creative time is spent drawing and painting with her younger cousins and she welcomes the occasional face painting gig.

In an era of hyper specialized careers, Dorothy enjoys the distraction that is part of her process. Her artwork has been featured on CDs, posters, utilized in web designs and can still be found on store shelves. Currently, her home-based studio is situated in Arlington, Virginia, where she tries not to get paint all over the place.