I sign my paintings ‘‘JBChicoine’’ but otherwise I’m known as Bridget Chicoine. I was raised in a family of seven children in Amityville, Long Island, New York during the 60’s and 70’s. Aside from basic art classes in high school, I'm a self-taught artist. I received my first set of ‘real watercolors’ from my father for graduation, and thereafter briefly attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. However, by the early 80’s I had begun raising a family and pursued art only intermittently at first, but as my results improved (and my time freed up), so did the frequency of my painting. My remarriage in 1990 to my husband Todd, also an artist, gave the most impetus to my desire and ability.
As far as my writing, I've been coming up with characters and stories since I was a child. I started writing seriously in 2006 and undertook educating myself on improving my craft and about the publishing industry. Working on my painting simultaneously with my writing, one creative outlet stimulates the other. Much of my inspiration comes from having lived near the ocean and in New Hampshire's Sunapee Lakes Region.
My debut novel, Uncharted: Story for a Shipwright was published traditionally by a small press publisher in 2012. When they closed their doors in 2013, I republished the second edition under my own imprint, Straw Hill Publishing. Since then, I have independently published four more novels: Spilled Coffee; Portrait of a Girl Running; Portrait of a Protege, Portrait of a Girl Adrift, and Blind Stitches. All of my books are available for e-readers and in trade paperback. Uncharted is also available as an audio book.
Currently, I live in Michigan with my husband, working on various projects, and traveling.
