“My creativity seems to come from a place deep within me. I often feel like my eyes are only spectators of the whole experience, I watch in awe as my hand glides across the canvas and trust that I know what I’m doing. I am self-taught, but sometimes I wonder if something inside of me knew all along.”

       Animals and Nature are my vital source of life. Animals fill me with fluttering joy and nature grounds me. They are highly sentient beings with wisdom to be shared through a language shared between all life. I strive to express their emotions and tell their stories through my artwork.    

       Experiencing life alongside my animal companions is truly a gift. My horse and bird remind me that we all deserve affectionate loving care. They help me find peace in my heart and live in the present moment. Animal guidance makes me a better human.

           I create my artwork to sew my part in the ever-woven tapestry of life. I wish to create something that can touch others at a sentimental level. I feel like my artwork is a small piece of something much greater. My purpose on the planet is to contribute to the protection of the natural world by spreading compassion and awareness. My paintings share my burning passion for all of our Earth’s animals. By the strokes of my brush, I wish to inspire others to take notice of the fauna that cross our paths, as well as those out of reach. My paintings reveal animals as they exist through my eyes. I portray their magnificent aura that may often go unseen. The natural world is in a fragile state. It is up to us to come together to heal our home. I hope my creations give a glimpse of the world of beauty that I wish to cherish for generations to come. Let’s protect the planet and keep it safe for all that call it home. We are all interconnected. By saving them, we will heal an aching part of ourselves.

My Creative Process

       My creations are revealed to me in one of two channels. Sometimes it is a moment in my life that I want to recreate, and other times my mind will flash an image that I know I must transform into reality. Often the later of the two is much more complex and will keep my head spinning in the planning stages of the piece. I will ransack my brain for every last detail and do a profound amount of research and sketches for the composition. I never truly know what I am about to create because it keeps transforming as I move along the creative process. I feel like I am extracting the imagery from deep within me. Sometimes it is an easily delightful process and other times it is so overwhelming I lock myself in a sort of “art coma” for days, cutting myself off from every possible distraction for periods of time.

My Special Materials

        I’m very particular about the materials I use. I have eliminated all toxic art supplies and have fallen in love with my personal way of creating. I have sensitivity to solvents such as Turpeniod, so I wore a respirator when working in art school because of the other students. In my own studio, everything is natural and safe for me as well as the environment.

           I paint animals and nature because I’m so passionate about them, so naturally I make sure my materials are vegan and environmental impact is as small as possible. I'm proud to declare that my studio is nearly zero waste, and my materials are vegan friendly. I mix most of my own paint with earth pigments from Natural Earth Paints, Colors of Nature, and the Art Treehouse. I simply mix the pigments with quality walnut oil.

        The ArtTreehouse makes especially wonderful paint that gives me a vivid color range without the drawbacks of synthetic fillers and nasty chemicals. I use their high quality pigments as well as handmade paints for my creations. Some of my recent favorites are Phthalo blue, Quinacridone Magenta, and Rubine red.

        I decided to be an alchemist and mix up a new mixture of natural ingredients to improve the luminosity and slow dry time. I mixed Walnut oil, linseed oil, spike lavender, Canada balsam, and clove oil to make my own painting medium! Each ingredient adds its own special touch. For instance, the Canada balsam the enhances the vibrancy of my colors while the clove oil extends my drying time. I absolutely love it and now I get the treat of painting with the aromatherapy of lovely lavender and Christmas trees! It’s a magical experience.

        I am vegan so I use only animal-friendly brushes. I have collected a few different kinds but my absolute favorites are from Rosemary & Co. Their brushes are high quality and have worked beautifully in achieving the delicate details in my creations.