By Ellen Lahr

When she was a young girl, Tina McCurdy’s visits to her grandmother’s house weren’t welcomed with the aroma of baking cookies and treats. Instead, she walked in to the smell of turpentine, paint, art, ideas – her grandmother’s domain. Her grandmother was an artist whose work was more a hobby than a vocation.

As she approached college, she found herself at a fork in life’s road: art school or veterinary school? She was artistic, and a guidance counselor had some guidance that led her to consider medical and scientific outlets for her work.

“I was born into a creative, entrepreneurial family, so I had encouragement for seeking a career in the arts, but treating it like a business,” said McCurdy, whose decision to attend Rhode Island School of Design led her to some unlikely

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