Ifrom Belleville, IL, a suburb of St.Louis, MO, Ali's formal art education took place in Chicago at Columbia College on South Michigan Avenue. After 5 years of great times in Chicago, she moved back to her hometown, Belleville. From Belleville, Santa Rosa Beach, FL, became home in early 2007. She fell for the beauty of the beach but stayed for the soul of an unbelievable, haunting, hidden slice of heaven she now calls home. Ali lives in Santa Rosa Beach with her two children Calvin and Cameron, and close enough to her extended family that they visit frequently. Prior to moving to the Emerald Coast, ali was a Muralist and Faux Finish painter in the St. Louis area for 7 years. After giving birth to her second child, she was ready to create again but this time she wanted to paint for ‘herself’ so she gathered her favorite media from the faux finish days, venetian plaster and glazes and began to experiment on wooden ‘frames’.