Born in 1958 in dairy country, Wisconsin, USA, animals have surrounded me all my life. Being an only, overprotected child resulted in my spending vast amounts of time reading about and drawing the animals I loved.

Life after secondary school included a stint in the army, marriage and a daughter, a college degree in Geology as well as graduate school pursuing Vertebrate Paleontology. In chronologic order I've lived in Wisconsin, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Germany, Kentucky, Wyoming, and once more back in Wisconsin. The last sixteen years have found me in northern Wisconsin involved in sculpting and working with the taxidermy industry specializing in large diorama work. Although life has taken many turns, animals and art have always been my core.

Although my formal education is in the sciences as opposed to the arts, I have always been gifted with natural talent and have done pencil, colored pencil and ink pet portraits outside my "real job". Since my daughter has now gone out on her own, I've been able to pursue my love of art and animals. I discovered pastels nearly three years ago and fell in love with them and now work exclusively in that medium. I am currently focusing my efforts on pet portraiture while growing a wildlife following on the side.

I dearly love animals...both in the wild and the pets I have owned and still do. I feel driven to capture the personality--the very being of each animal. For this reason I have so enjoyed reaching out to others who love their animals as I do and providing a greatly treasured memory for these individuals to cherish forever. It is a work in which I find enormous satisfaction and I feel greatly blessed in being able to make a living at doing something so gratifying.

	Cynthia Christman Christman Portraits & Wildlife Creations 6145 Hwy 70 East St. Germain, WI 54558 Phone: (715) 479-9586 e-mail: christmanportraits@gmail.com