About the Ladybug

In every one of my pieces is a hidden ladybug. Ladybugs are very special to me and family. Growing up, my mom always told us the story of how her dad sent her a ladybug card while he was deployed in Okinawa. I knew him as my quiet, but creative grandfather who always kept me on my toes with new projects every time we visited. We went rockhounding, cut and polished gems, did woodcarving and leatherwork, made hiking sticks, and much, much more. He and my grandma were also the ones who taught me how to draw. To this day, I honor him by wearing his dog tag around my neck every day and adding a new rock to my collection every year on the anniversary of his death, and now, I further honor his memory, his creativity, and everything he ever taught and meant to me by including his ladybug in each and every art piece I create.