Citrine of the Phoenix Art Group was born in Kawasaki, Japan, but grew up a world away in Los Angeles, with the richness and exoticism of the Eastern culture lingering in her thoughts. She graduated from California State University in Long Beach with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration. Since her student days, she has drawn her inspiration from master illustrator N.C. Wyeth for his fine craftsmanship and his dramatic use of color.