The paintings of Hillary Vermont are alive with color, whimsy, animal guides and figurative images, spirit and fantasy voyages.

Winning her first art contest at the age of three, Vermont decided to pursue an art career at an early age, graduating from Parsons School of Design in the early '70s. Graphic artists Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast and Peter Max were primary influences as "Color and humor through the use of all media was my goal."

Vermont began working in advertising as an art director for print and TV ads; however, by 1980 the desire to express art on her own terms prevailed. Beginning to draw once more, she started her own business creating greeting cards, and has been commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art for their Christmas Card Collection since the early 80s as well as other museums, zoos and aquariums.

Vermont started to paint during a creative transition, fulfilling a long-time goal to be painting by the 1990s. Much of her work depicts colorful, dreamlike animals and environments. "I believe in the spiritual power of animals. For as long as I can remember, animals have appeared vividly in my dreams. It was not until I visited New Mexico a few years ago that I began to understand that each animal carries a specific spiritual message...in a book written by Native Americans called The Medicine Cards'...depicting each animal's essence, balance and harmony in and to nature, personality, tricks, trials, triumphs and folk tales...I've learned many lessons from our North American animal friends. Now when they appear in my dreams I read about what they are trying to teach me or warn me of as soon as I awaken. Then I paint them."

BIRTHPLACE: New York, NY EDUCATION: Parson School of Design, NY COMMISSIONS: The Smithsonian, Washington, DC

Lincoln Center, New York, NY

The Metropolitan Opera, New York, NY

Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

The Museum of Natural History, New York, NY