Doreyl Ammons Cain... Artist & Writer...Born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Doreyl grew up drawing birds in the dirt of the mountain roads around her home. Receiving her first art award in third grade, Doreyl won the South Carolina State Art award for teenagers, a purchase prize at Furman University and an art scholarship to the University of South Carolina.

Later, in California, while achieving a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Arts degree in Biological/Medical Illustration, she garnered more awards, this time in science as well. She received awards in anatomy, physiology and microbiology, and “The Best in the West Illustration Award” three years in a row. Her dreams became a reality as she worked in about every artistic venue-- storyboarding for films, owning her own design & advertising agency (specializing in logo design) through which she won the Zellerbach Logo Design Award and other design awards.

During this time she exhibited her works of fine art in group and individual shows at the Smithsonian Institute, the Pentagon, Air Force Exhibitions in Washington DC, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles Museum of Science and Industry, Long Beach Art Museum, University of California at Irvine and at traveling art exhibitions in museums and galleries throughout the country.

Since coming home to North Carolina, she cofounded Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to honoring the heritage and creativity of all people. She and her sister, Amy Garza, author and storyteller, have facilitated creativity workshops and performed (storytelling and spontaneous visual art) for millions of children and adults in schools and colleges. Doreyl’s spontaneous art murals are being placed in museums & public places throughout the world. In 2005 she won a place in the Kennedy Promotions Best of North Carolina Artists & Artisians book series.

Illustrator of many books, Doreyl paints book covers for Ammons Communications and magazine covers for ‘Fun Things to do in the Mountains.’ Coauthor and illustrator of “Catch the Spirit of Creativity” and author of her own book called “Greatness in a Nutshell,” Doreyl’s book’s help people explore their unique creativity and follow their dream.

Today she and her husband, Jerry Cain, are now creating koi fish ponds at their nature center called “Nature’s Home“ where Doreyl teaches pastel painting and biological illustration.