EDUCATION

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1974.
        In addition to being an award-winning artist, illustrator, and author, Rebecca McDannold was an entrepreneur for sixteen years and an art instructor for nine years with award-winning programs on the high school and college levels. She has also worked on staff for Hallmark Cards Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri.

DAILY LIFE

McDannold's studio is in Columbia, Illinois, where she lives with her husband, Bill, and her two cats.
        Her hobbies are varied, and include lap swimming four days per week, photography, family, travel, and reading.
        Her reading topics include mythology, personal development, studies of the brain, autobiographies, human spirituality, quantum physics, science fiction, and mysteries.

QUALIFICATIONS AND GOALS

McDannold is an artist who

• effectively communicates,
• understands deadlines and space requirements,
• is familiar with production issues,
• will implement client desires,
• and accepts redirection within projects.

She will advise a client if a project is unworkable for any reason, and do so within a reasonable time frame. She understands the business side of her work.
        She is not only a master of her craft, but also a true professional. She believes that we as humans are happiest when we have a purpose; her purpose is to create artwork that inspires and nourishes the human spirit. Years of study and dedication have pushed her limits and led her to achieve her personal best.

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

McDannold's award-winning work has been shown in museums, galleries, and fine arts juried shows across the country, and is held in public and private collections worldwide.
        A published artist, she has created fine art, illustrative work, and extensive portraiture, including celebrities like Ozzie Smith, former St. Louis Cardinal baseball superstar, and Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

"Creating art is a way of being in the zone, or going with the flow. It is being unaware of oneself, fully engrossed while producing the work in total absorption and focus.
        "People who are successful in any aspect of their lives know how to repeat this flow over and over, day after day, and live their lives so that they may accomplish this state.
        "The secret for quality of life lies in this state of being."