Amy was born and raised in Arnold, MO. She currently resides in the historic Bevo Mill Neighborhood in St. Louis.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1998 with a BFA in Interior Design from William Woods University in Fulton, MO. She designed interiors for commercial and healthcare environments for several years before transitioning to the art consulting and picture framing industry. As owner of Prints Charming Gallery, she earned her CPF credentials from the Professional Picture Framers Association.

Her interest in the benefits of art in healthcare environments led her to receiving her EDAC (Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification from the Center for Health Design. She continues to follow the research being done in this field and integrates it into her creative process.

More recently, she graduated from the Milan Art Institute’s Mastery Program where she was introduced to the beauty of oil painting. She is continually honing her artistic skill set and strengthening her unique artistic voice. As a professional artist she is passionate about using her voice to speak light, truth and encouragement into the world.

“I want my work to be beautiful but also tell honest stories that leave room for the viewer’s imagination and curiosity to get them to wade into deeper places.”

Her work has been shown in galleries throughout the region. During the Missouri Bi-Centennial Celebration in 2021, her painting, The Good Father, was selected for the Missouri Arts Now exhibition shown throughout the state of Missouri. Most recently, she has begun painting murals and creating digital illustrations for a children’s book. She enjoys experimenting with digital work where she often highlights her sense of humor and love of puns. Her home's butterfly garden and lavender row inspired her collection of wildflower and pollinator images that are featured on prints, stickers and stationery.

Shilpa Rao is a multidisciplinary artist based in Saint Louis. She strives to expand artistic horizons, promote multicultural outreach and connect communities through art. She believes Art can bridge gaps in communities, help heal, voice opinions, and spread positivity. As an immigrant artist, she enjoys fusing ancient techniques with modern life. Main components in her work are symmetry, detailed patterns, vibrant colors, textures, and balancing all the elements. She strives to strike a balance and connection between all the components, creating a meditative imagery that evokes feelings of calm.

She has shown her work in invitational art shows, galleries, art fairs, led community art projects, murals, commissioned work, juried art shows, and held workshops for various age groups.

I was born and raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, where I received a graduate degree in Graphic Design at the Institute of Architecture, Design and Art at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez. I moved to the United States in 2012 where I continue my creative expression in cities like Colorado Springs CO, Des Moines IA and St. Louis MO.

My passion is to experiment with many elements of nature, encompassing animals, Portraits, flowers, minerals and other components of the natural world. I enjoy blending and balancing imagery and symbolism in my paintings through an abstract realism lens hoping to provoke emotions and expressions in love, magic, and beauty.

I like to work with watercolor, graphite, ink, color pencils, acrylics and oil on a myriad of surfaces such as cotton paper, wood, and different styles of canvases that allows me to conceive different variations in style and expression. I also enjoy exploring the world of digital art and illustrations, sometimes re-working a piece with distinct layers to capture contrasting visual dimensions.