Nicole Dutton was born and raised in Olney, IL.

She attended Greenville College where she received a BA in psychology with a minor in sociology in 2000.

In 2002, she married and moved to the St. Louis area. She worked as a clinical interventionist at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center with children suffering from acute behavior disorders. It was through this experience that she became more interested in art therapy and later painting specifically. She worked as a Social Worker for The Division of Family Services while taking general art courses.

In 2003, she began her MA in painting at Fontbonne University while working at Parents as Teachers as a Parent Educator, at Jefferson College as an adjunct art instructor and raising her son. She completed her MFA at Fontbonne University in 2007 and is now working at Chesterfield Arts as the Director of Education and Outreach.