A petite woman with short, neon-yellow hair, Hitchcock exudes a quiet, calm presence. Prone to fits of artistic rage that she releases by throwing plastic toys at the walls of her studio, Hitchcock is at once an enigma and an open-book. An ex- Born-Again- Christian, Hitchcock has learned to find power through being vulnerable in her personal life as well as with her art.

"If I'm vulnerable, I'm going to show my weakness," says Hitchcock. "But actually when you are willing to be vulnerable it's totally empowering. I'm just learning that, and it's true with my art too. People are more responsive when you're true to yourself, and that is empowering."

Hitchcock, 38, who lives in Santa Rosa, has been creating art all her life. She grew up in Springfield, Vermont and came to the Bay Area to study art at the San Francisco Art Institute. She received her BFA in 1996. During and after her studies, she worked at odd-jobs, until she decided to do her art full-time.

Hitchcock grew up in middle-class surroundings with her two sisters, Trisha, 43, and Joanne, 42. Her father was an engineer and her mother, a homemaker. Hitchcock's parents still live in Vermont. She feels that her suburban upbringing played no role in type of artist she would become. Hitchcock does however, feel she has rebelled at the traditional notion of art, that made her feel a good artist must be able to paint realistically.

As a child, she was often unhappy. She believes she was born sad. One of her childhood activities that she found joy in, was drawing. She would copy figures from fashion magazines with her sister, Trisha.