Sibyl Sanford was raised in Connecticut and spent the summers of her childhood on the coast of Maine. She earned a degree in Art from Colby College in Maine, and later a Teaching Certificate in Art Education from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. Afterward, she worked several seasons for the U.S. Forest Service in the Glacier Peak Wilderness and eventually became a Wilderness Ranger. It was here in the peace and solitude of the backcountry that her love of nature deepened and took on a spiritual significance for her.

In 1990, after opening up a business teaching art, she began pursuing her life’s passion as a watercolorist. Her award-winning work has been selected for many regional and national exhibitions and she is a signature member of the Northwest Watercolor Society. Her paintings can be found in private collections in North America, Europe, and Australia.

In 2008, Sibyl published her first book, Painting the Spirit Within, which showcases 78 color plates of her paintings.