Annabelle Van Tuyl was born in Rhode Island to a Yankee mother of Swedish descent and an Okie father of Dutch heritage and an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. Annabelle was whisked back to Oklahoma as a baby to be raised on family land in rural Wagoner County. These days, she lives on a wild piece of land with many pets and works with adults as an occupational therapy assistant. Her art reflects her fascination with exploring ways to use color to interpret the world around her, and it is filled with the magic and wonder that she experiences in the sometimes disjointed and often whimsical stories she hears from her elderly patients, many of whom are members of tribal communities.