Biography

Courtney was stuck in a rut. She felt safe in her tiny artistic bubble, using familiar mediums and concentrating solely upon fantasy art. However, she knew there was something missing from her work. She constantly looked at the work of other fantasy artists and wondered just what she was doing wrong. Having come to the realization that her creativity had outstripped her technical skill, she went back to college.

Beginning with Painting I in the spring of 2004, Courtney soon came to the conclusion that what had always been a hobby was truly her passion. So she registered as a full time student at Okaloosa-Walton College and began to pursue an art-related degree in earnest. As fall term rolled around, she registered for five classes, two of them done as independent studies, while continuing to work full time.

Since attending college, Courtney has expanded her media from colored pencil, digital and graphite to include soft pastels, acrylic paint, fine art markers and oil pastels. She also broke out of her fantasy art comfort zone and now produces artwork ranging from still life to landscapes with a little bit of everything in between. She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society and National Dean’s List.

Courtney still favors the fantasy art genre and shows her work at Science Fiction, Fantasy and Gaming conventions across the country. She has shown work in the Okaloosa-Walton College Juried Student Art Show, the Art and Design Society of Fort Walton Beach Student Art Show and the Northwest Florida Fair Fine Art Show (where she placed 3rd with her entry "A Lady For Tea"). She is a member of the Art and Design Society of Fort Walton Beach, the Pastel Society of Northwest Florida, and the Colored Pencil Society of America.

Courtney graduated from Okaloosa-Walton College with an Associate of Liberal Arts degree focused in studio art. She moved to Germany in December 2005 and is now attending University of Maryland University College Europe where she hopes to complete her Bachelors of Science in Art History and Appreciation with a minor in History.