Welcome to my creative life website!  

About Me – I am passionate about creating joyful art which brightens your day. I also enjoy writing words that till faith, plant hope, and water your heart with love, so that you will bloom.

I am married to Casey, a letterpress artist and designer who is an Associate Professor of Visual Communication at Texas A&M University – Commerce. We have fun collaborating on creative projects together, laughing, eating spicy foods, and drinking a good cup of coffee.

I am a mother to my fourteen-year-old daughter, Ella who also loves to draw and paint 

My son, Grant, is forever eighteen and lives in Heaven. He was an organ donor to four people, and we are blessed to have a friendship with two of his recipients.  He was an avid skateboarder, wrote his own music, loved his cat, Coco, and is missed dearly. 

For Fun – I love painting angels, going on prayer walks, crafting with my daughter, playing board games, hiking, dancing, decorating, meeting up with good friends, and writing.

My story – My creative spirit was nurtured at an early age when my mother enrolled me in art classes. She was always cheering me on to explore different artistic mediums; drawing, painting, ceramics, and even creating with makeup that she was going to discard!

Before home computers became popular, she cultivated my love for the visual arts, and nurtured my passion for writing by teaching me her “copy and paste” method of editing with glue and scissors.

After graduating with a Visual Communications Degree, I worked for ten years as a professional illustrator in Dallas for several well-recognized clients, including The Deep Ellum Association, Sambuca Restaurant, The Container Store, J.C. Penney, and Neiman Marcus gourmet goodies.

After my children were born, I decided to put my artistic endeavors on hold and became a fitness instructor specializing in Pilates and Barre. I was attracted to the flexible hours which were a better match with my children’s schedules.

However, on March 16 of 2017, my eighteen-year-old son, Grant, passed away. This situation left me heartbroken, and therefore, the last thing I wanted to do was anything creative.

My friend from design school called a few months later, encouraging me to “create and heal”. She thought that God had designed me to create. Her call was a life-changing moment, and I felt inspired to “create with The Creator.”

I began writing words woven with Biblical hope for grieving moms as they were the words that I needed at the moment, and I started submitting them to online Facebook support groups. Writing regularly inspired me to become a professional volunteer for Compel Training, a Christian writer’s training program created by Proverbs 31 Ministries. I co-led the platform-building community group for more than a year and a half. 

I am a contributor to the “Families Anonymous” bereavement book entitled, “Heartfelt Stories from Parents Who Have Lost a Child to Addiction“. I believe that finding ways to express yourself in loss is very therapeutic.

Art For Sale – My product designs are available for purchase on a variety of items such as mugs, totes, prints, and more.

I hope that my art and words encourage you! Blessings,  Deana (Dee-na)