As a girl growing up in New Town, Ali LaRock liked using her hands to make things.

The desire to draw and paint was inside her, she just didn't have an art teacher to encourage or mentor her.

Once in college at Minnesota State University Moorhead, LaRock found others who shared her excitement for art.

"Art is important to me to communicate my ideas and the way I feel about the world. It's a way to bring, visually, things that don't exist into existence through art."

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, LaRock moved to Bismarck in 1999. She soon found herself encouraging and mentoring young students.

It's fitting that her current painting style is "playful and childlike." For the past several years, she has taught art to youngsters by contracting with Theo Art School in Bismarck and as an artist in residence with the North Dakota Council on the Arts.

"I like working with (students). They lose themselves in the process. It's the most important thing in art. I want them to explore and find the joy in making art. I am happy to be a part of that."

For her fine art paintings, LaRock is moving into a new direction with multimedia. "I'm adding more texture to my artwork. I try to keep it new for myself."

To view more photos from this series and others, go to www.bismarcktribune.com/neighbors.