I remember it clearly: I was eleven, standing in Sun Gallery, captivated by the original artwork on the walls and the authors and illustrators who stood beside it. I loved drawing and making my own little books, but seeing that level of artistry planted a seed. My mom and I returned every year through middle and high school, and each time she let me choose one book—always the one whose brushstrokes of watercolor, oil pastel, or pencil I had studied the longest.
Here I am at age eleven, with illustrator Yoriko Ito.
Life moved on. I spent twelve years as a hospital dietitian, trading creativity for clinical labs and charting. But when I returned to Sun Gallery in 2016 and spoke with artists about self-publishing, I realized that long-ago seed had bloomed: I wanted to write and illustrate my own book.
This year, I’m deeply grateful to share that artwork from my book Food For Thought has been selected for Sun Gallery’s 35th Annual Children’s Book Illustrator Exhibit. The “Meet the Illustrators” event—so dear to me as a child—will be held Saturday, March 21st, from 12–3pm, and the exhibit runs March 13 through May 23, 2026.
I try to live in a way that would make both my younger and older selves proud. I can wholeheartedly say: the younger me is overjoyed.
I hope to see you there.