Having grown up in Lindsborg, KS, a small community rich in both the performing and visual arts, I cannot remember a time in my life where art wasn’t important to me.  From a very young age, a majority of my time was occupied by coloring books, markers, craft projects, etc.   I had many wonderful teachers throughout my school-age years who presented me with opportunities to expand my artistic talent outside of normal classroom work.  While I do not have formal training in the arts, it has always been my number one hobby.  However recently, I have decided to take this passion of mine a step further and start my own art business.    

Just before graduating from Smoky Valley High School in 1998, I was awarded the Lindsborg Art Council Scholarship as well as a Performance Award in Art from Bethany College.  However, my declared major was not in art, but was in the sciences, and I received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology in May of 2002.  I was only enrolled in a few art classes while attending college, but it still remained an important part of my life.  And it was during these years that I became more familiar and skilled with pastel media, which remains my media of choice today. 

I met my husband, Schan, in 2003 and relocated to Oklahoma City later that same year.  During the first few years I spent in Oklahoma, I explored my career options but still left myself enough time to create artwork for friends and family and to decorate my walls at home.   After much thought, I decided to further my education in 2006 and attended nursing school at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.  Life became very busy that year, as Schan and I were married in the fall of 2006 while attending school full-time.  Finally, in the summer of 2007, I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing.     

Life did not slow down very much for me after graduating from nursing school.  My husband is a pilot in the Air Force and we soon learned that his next assignment would be to Kadena AB, in Okinawa in the spring of 2008.  Unfortunately, the stress of working as a new RN along with preparing for our overseas move did not leave me much time for my favorite hobby.  I started to wonder if I would ever have enough time to pursue this passion of mine.     

Now, we are finally settled in Okinawa and I just love it.  I am amazed at the many opportunities available for artists here and plan to take advantage of what this island has to offer.  There are so many different things for me to draw inspiration from… gorgeous ocean scenery, island sunsets, exotic plant-life, and also the unique Okinawan culture.  I have several projects that I will be working on this year and I expect that many will be inspired by this captivating place.  

Many thanks go to my family and friends for all of your support throughout the years.   I feel very lucky to have such great people in my life!

 -Carmen Daniel