"I've been passionate about art and music since I was a little girl. I found that by being immersed in an art project or song, I could escape reality and expres s myself in ways sometimes words could not. I started out drawing hundreds of circles across the lines of notebook paper, until the whole sheet was covered. I guess you could say it went from there.

Throughout school, I always enjoyed art class but never thought much of it. When it came to picking elective classes in high school, it felt only natural to choose art. After a memorable art teacher, a few independent studies, and starting my own mural business my senior year, I realized that this was what I wanted to do in college and for the rest of my life.

I attended Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, SC, and pursued a B.A. in Art Studio on a Visual Arts Scholarship. While there, I fell in love with art all over again. With new mediums, incredible professors, a creative environment and the ocean only minutes away, I was hooked.

During college, I was able to study abroad at Deakin University in Warrnambool, Australia and learned about painting, drawing, graphic design, children's lit, life, love, and priorities. I managed to do as little school work as possible, pass my classes, meet some awesome people, and travel all over Australia, while learning about new cultures and myself at the same time. My travels have also brought me to some other intriguing places including the Eastern Seaboard, Fiji, and Hawaii.

I grew up 3 hours from the beach, but at college I could stumble into class with salt in my hair and sand between my toes. I learned how to surf, and I've never been so thrilled and terrified at the same time, in my life. Surfing gave me another means of clearing my head, that is, once I learned how to do it right, which took a long time and a collection of scars. The ocean and its wonders have always been fascinating to me and they continue to inspire me. My beliefs, travels, friends, family, music, nature, memories, and certain artists (Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo and other surrealists), are also great influences on my artwork.

I currently reside with my husband, Mike and my son, Shane in Myrtle Beach, just a few miles from the ocean and appreciate all that God has given us. I hope to continue to be inspired and share the joy I've found with others."

-Sybil Alfano