Michele has always had a passion for art and love for animals - especially horses. She grew up in Florida and began showing artistic ability at an early age which was encouraged by her creative mother and artistic grandmother. Achieving a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida in 1989, she has used her creativity in a variety of jobs from sign design and painting, book editing and illustration, to capturing the unique personalities of pets in acrylic portraiture. She relocated to the central mountains of Colorado in 1996 where she lives with her husband, Erik.