Tammy Smyser grew up in rural northeast Indiana. She had a grand passion for drawing and painting through her high school years.

Then life happened. Marriage, children and work absorbed her time.

She worked in a variety of food service establishments and was soon to be known as “Cookie”. Her ability to cook 5 star meals and sinfully delicious desserts became well known. Plus, during her years of cooking and baking she also built up a great reputation as a cake decorator using her artistic talents to as large a degree as possible.

After divorcing, Tammy packed a bag and her dog Max and rode along with a good friend that was moving to Florida. She found work in the food service industry easily but struggled to learn how to live life on her own.

After two years she came to grips with being by herself and was enjoying herself when she met her current husband Norm, 8 ½ years her elder. A passionate, life-long motorcyclist who still takes great pride in acting lesser than his years.

Tammy was happy to ride on the back and enjoy the sensory overload associated with riding but quickly realized that her former racer husband did not have the ability to adequately contain his need for speed when carrying a passenger.

As a result it was agreed that she would learn to ride her own bike.
A small 250cc made for a perfect starter bike on which Tammy learned the basics. After only a few short months she traded the little bike for a 750cc that gave her 4 years and many thousands of miles of enjoyment.

For a time Tammy worked as a baker at a private school in Tampa. This allowed her to have summers off.
During the summer of 2016 Tammy decided to take a motorcycle trip back to Indiana to visit her children and grandchildren. The planned ride soon included going to Pennsylvania to visit Norm's youngest daughter and her new baby boy, grandchild number 9, on the return trip. After that a short overnight visit with an cousin in South Carolina was added to the return trip and the route was set. A larger 1300cc bike was purchased for the trip and she was ready for a grand adventure.

Over the course of 23 days, 13 states and 3509 miles Tammy visited the entire crew in Indiana, spent time with #9 and family in Pennsylvania and had a pleasant visit with her cousin in South Carolina.
While riding through the mountains, on roads she had traveled before, she realized what every lucky motorcyclist has learned. Riders do much more than witness the beauty surrounding them on a bike. They experience it! Feel it! Smell it! And fully absorb it!
This brought forth an epiphany. Tammy thought to herself, “I Need To Paint This”!

Upon her return home she immediately set about accumulating the necessary supplies to start painting in watercolors. Her favorite avenue to express herself. Since then she has added expressions using acrylics and pastels to her arsenal. She has also found the beauty of symetry and applied that to the creation of her mandalas and has followed the path to the opposite with her liquid acrylics. Finally after so many decades of putting aside her talent she is now able to let it all out for everyone to enjoy.