born in East Cleveland, OH in the middle of the 1950's, tina, the youngest of 5 children, was heavily influenced by her older siblings' love of music, art, and nature. under the tutelage of her oldest sister, Chris, she began drawing and painting at the age of 10, often in her brother's room, while he played sets of Armstrong, Goodman, Jolson, and Gershwin on his windup Victrola.

at 17, she attended the Fort Wayne Art Institute (currently the Department of Fine Arts, Indiana University at Ft. Wayne) on a full scholarship, graduating with a BFA in painting.

in the late 70's, she apprenticed at Aniko Art Glass and became a flat glass designer and glazier, a profession that took her to Boston in the mid-80's. When the economy turned, closing many of Boston's glass studios, tina found work as a commercial printer, where she discovered an interest in problem-solving complex mechanical systems. This fascination with machines lead to a certificate program in Electronics and Computer Repair at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. After graduating with honors, she worked for the Tandy Corp., Digital Equipment Corp., and Dunkin Donuts as a repair technician and IT support provider.

she continued to paint until parenting and a dearth of free time made it impractical. a digital camera, purchased in 2004, brought art back into her daily life, completing the circle of art and technology when she began to edit and mix her photos in Adobe Photoshop. tina has worked for Tufts University as a technical writer and senior web editor for the last 8 years. she and her long-time partner, Deborah, live in Medford, MA with their two children, Ivy and India, and their dog, the fabulous Miss Ruby.