jleica

Much of my professional life revolves around design -- mainly print design. I teach design and picture editing at a university, and for 15 years, worked as a designer as a variety of newspapers. Creating ATCs has always been a way to free my mind of what I "should" be doing. I love to mess around with color and collage.

I have also studied photography pretty intensely (I used to be a photojournalist). I love documentary images, especially those that lean more toward the non-literal, and yet remain storytelling.

I love to walk. A lot. I walk everywhere. The longest hike I ever took was for six months, and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

I enjoy the challenges of figuring out how to make the best use of living space (my very own version of feng shui, I guess). I like painting walls deep colors -- and especially love it when I'm done!

I enjoy reading, memoirs mostly. Love the personal essay style. I kept a journal for decades, and in the past few years, have kept trying to get back to that on a daily basis. The thought of "distinguishing the days" really appeals to me.

I'm married and have two teenage stepchildren who visit us during holidays and summer months. My husband is an avid gardener and homebrewer -- I thoroughly enjoy spending time in our colorful, explosive garden (the neighbors do, too); and while I don't drink beer, I am always up for designing beer labels for his concoctions.

We are animal-lovers here: couple of dogs, cats, and a canary.

Folk, bluegrass, Appalachian mountain dulcimer (which I play), classical violin

I'm a responsible ATCer and respect/honor deadlines. When it comes to exchanges like this, I think the "Golden Rule" applies. I will do my best to do the right thing here and be prompt/fair with ratings. I'd appreciate a PM if you need to contact me (for example, if I send my ATC and it's slow to get to you or you don't receive it). I live in a somewhat rural area, and there are rare occasions when mail can be on the slow side coming and going.

The short "Yes" lineup: intense color, layering (of color, texture, for example), words + images, originality, primitive, folk, natural, personal ...

The short "No Thanks" lineup: religious-themed creations (please, take no offense), slap-a-sticker-or-two-on-a-piece-of-paper "art." I'm fairly open-minded, but am not interested in anything pornographic that truly oversteps boundaries.