The process in my work
What inspires your work?
I’m inspired by the quiet resilience found in the natural world and people. Animals, become metaphors in my work for survival, instinct, tenderness, and strength. I’m drawn to the way beauty and hardship can coexist, how something wounded or still healing can still be strong and powerful.
How do you choose the themes behind your pieces?
Most pieces begin with an animal I’m feeling drawn to paint. I may start with only a loose idea or symbolic meaning, but the deeper theme often reveals itself as I work. My pieces are shaped by what I’m feeling in the moment, or personal experiences I’m moving through. I also love to use my own animals in my paintings.
What role does symbolism play in your art?
Symbolism is often the emotional language of my work. I use animals and natural elements as metaphors for experiences that can be difficult to express sometimes.
What draws you to combining softness with darker themes?
I’ve always felt as though that’s what lived experiences feel like, that happiness and hardship aren’t in rotation, they’re constantly co existing. Moving through grief or hurt requires us to sit with it and feel it, but that doesn’t take away from the beauty around you or your other relationships. A big part of why I began painting again a few years ago was feeling swallowed by depression and loss, I needed to create again to help pull me out. Much of that hurt was put into my work and maybe others can connect with that.
Has a piece ever surprised you or changed meaning while creating it?
Yes. My piece “Rage” changed meaning as it developed. I began it because I admired the wolverine’s tenacity and perseverance, but while painting I started building a story around the circling birds and stolen eggs. Their anger came from protection and his from hunger. The piece became less about anger as destruction and more about anger as protection. The birds defending their young, the wolverine fighting for survival, and that tension led me to think about how our own anger often rises from something vulnerable we are trying to guard.
What does your creative process look like from start to finish?
I always use my sketch book to be messy and freely draw out my ideas. I put no pressure on myself for it to look pretty and organized so there is no perfectionist blocks. After i decide which elements I’ll keep I draw it out in pencil before I do the ink line work. It ends up looking like a coloring page that I watercolor, sometimes going back over with more details with ink when I am finished.
What materials do you use?
I’m a multi media artist so I have a lot of art supplies that I like to experiment with. I use Windsor and Newton professional watercolor in a pallet, Arches 100% cotton paper for watercolor ( I swear good paper makes such a difference), Fibre Castell colored pencil, koi watercolor markers, mechanical pencil, kneaded erasers cause they are less abrasive to paper, qouache, waterproof archival micron pen, and Windsor and newton acrylic for my canvas pieces.
Why do you choose watercolor/ink?
I love how meditative and calming watercolor can be, and together they let me balance softness with detail and intensity.
How long does a typical piece take to complete?
Anywhere from a few days on the smaller ones to many weeks working 5-7 hours at a time on it for the bigger pieces. I also have 2 boys and a lot of animals that need my time and keep me busy. Along with markets that get me out meeting new people that connect to my art.
What do you use for references?
Most of the time I do research on the animals before I start. I will go online and find multiple pictures I can use to help with proportions, fur direction and coloring, I also will find documentary videos so I see them with movement and learn about their behaviors. I also love getting books from older Artists from different time periods, and books i can find about wildlife, flowers in different regions, plants, and bones. I have many books on skulls, fossils and anatomy as well. I love to find used books at my local bookstore and from thrifting.
What part feels the most rewarding?
Probably meeting buyers in person and watching them connect with a piece and them feeling like they can share a story or a part of their lives with me. I also love to paint memorial pieces for pets because I believe art can hold memory. Creating a lasting tribute to a beloved animal allows me to honor the relationship and love they represented.
