Personal
Most people known me as "Azaria" online, however my birth name is Mahonia (mah-HOE-nee-ah). "Mahonia" is the botanical name for the Oregon Grape. The Oregon Grape is the state flower of Oregon. It's leaves look a lot like holly, but for the most part it grows much closer to the ground. It has yellow flowers, and blue berries. I was named "Mahonia" because I was born in Portland, Oregon, and also because my mom didn't want to name me something simple or very common like Lily, or Daisy, or Rose. My dad, having a very uncommon name, and knowing it is hard to grow up with a name no one has heard of, felt I should have a simple middle name (Sarah) in case I wanted to go by that instead.
Oregon Grape.
The plant I was named after.
I have just finished an incredible year the Environmental Horticulture program @ LWTC. It was the best decision I have made for myself in a long time! I am currently interning with a woman who also graduated from the program years ago. She is a personal gardener for a family that owns a two acre lot on Lake Washington.
I lived in three different places by the time I was twelve, and by 1990, I had moved to Western Washington, I have lived here ever since. I love it here and cannot see myself living anywhere else.
I have one younger sister, Linnaea. Yes, her name has two A's in it instead of the traditional single A. She is named after the Twin Flower. A native flower that grows in the Pacific Northwest.
My father is an award winning and renown architect. He has designed many beautiful office buildings and libraries in the Northwest. He was also on the staff that designed the Portland World Trade Center. He is the head designer of the 5th & Madison project located in downtown Seattle, Washington. His most recent project was designing the Burien Library which just opened spring of 2009.
I have one cat. Ginger is a female orange tabby--which is rare. She is also half-siamese. Her siamese gives her light green eyes instead of the typical yellow that orange tabbies possess. She's lazy and very loving. She meows and will purr endlessly, but she does not hiss or growl, ever. She wants to be near you, but hates to be held. She is very vocal and has a hooked tail.
I have owned some form of a website since 1998 -- Midnight Wulff's Mystic Domain, Ice Star, The Star Room, Reloaded Starlight, Forever-Phoenix.com, Dark Rain and Twilight Rain. All have been in one competition or another.
My style of web designing and web graphics are unique from probably a lot of the other art you have seen. I love deep colors and high contrast. It also tends to be influence by computer or video games since I am a electronic game junkie. I also absolutely love to "blend".
