about annie donlin

Annie Donlin was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, the fourth of five children.  Her parents quickly learned that she had inherited a creative gene from generations past.  As a child, she loved painting, art classes, and exploring every opportunity to express herself artistically.

 Annie attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she graduated with a degree in communications and advertising and a minor in fine art.  It wasn't until she experienced the pressures of working in the advertising field that she decided to pursue an education in design at Columbia College in Chicago.  While working days in the package design field, Annie spent her evenings drawing as often as time would allow.

 Annie’s love for travel took her to Europe, Africa and eventually Guatemala, where she enrolled in a Spanish immersion course.  There, she met a handsome Swiss architect, and Annie’s life changed course.  After moving to Europe, she continued to work in the field of design as a freelancer and joined painting classes in the evenings.  

 And then: children.  Less time to paint, but more time to come up with fun creative art projects for little ones.  After the kids’ schedules were too busy for art projects, Annie converted a room in her basement into an art studio.  There, she rediscovered the joy of painting.  She also finally found time to finish writing and illustrating the story Ellabellabellooza—a project inspired by her children, which she’d been nurturing for many years.

 Annie stumbled upon an opportunity for studio space in a converted infirmary at the foot of the Alps in Lucerne, Switzerland, where she now shares the creative process with other artists.  If you ever find yourself in the area, stop by the studio—the doors are always open!