My Story

As any artist can tell you, we never “started” being an artist, we always are. I grew up drawing animals from magazines and library books. There was a good period of time when I’d wake up every morning and choose which animal I’d pretend to be for the day. Never allowed to have a dog, I collected any other kind of pet my parents would let me: hamsters, newts, fish, skinks, birds, rabbits, I even hatched ducks and quail in high school as projects. Animals were always what made life more interesting on any trip or nature walk.

I grew up in Washington state, in a small town called Pullman. My grandparents lived in Salt Lake City and every summer we’d treck through the pines of Northern Idaho into the Salt Lake Valley. But my favorite place in the whole world is our family cabin in the Uintahs. That’s where I fell in love with aspen forests and the wildlife that lives there. I’d spend hours holding still on the deck to handfeed chipmunks, wake up early to catch the deer and moose at the salt lick, and hold my finger on the hummingbird feeder’s stands so I could feel their tiny feet on my skin. Having that connection with wildlife is truly a magical experience.

Instead of studying art in college, I went to BYU and graduated in Neuroscience, which I loved! But I always came back to art in my spare time. My husband and I started having our babies and moved to Mission Viejo, CA for four years. There I was inspired by palette knife art in the Laguna Beach galleries. We moved back to Utah and the art in Park City galleries made my heart sing. All the aspen and woodland animals made me so happy. After taking an oil painting class at Visual Art Institute in Salt Lake I was trying to find practical ways of practicing my art, which was always tricky with babies’ naptimes. I tried one palette knife painting of a deer and it was like a light turned on. I knew I could do this forever. The life the strokes and texture bring into the paintings and the freedom from fussy details set my creativity free. I felt my love for art and animals combine into something that just felt right. And I never looked back.

As I studied and practiced I became more aware of messages animals can hold for us. My bufallo made me feel powerful. The peacock made me notice the natural elegance of things. A friend commissioned a sea turtle to remind her to slow down and go with the tides. I realized this is what we all need! Nature’s reminders of how we can be in our own homes to unlock those messages we need most.

So what influences do you need more of in your life? A reminder to pay attention to life’s seasons? A symbol of transformation? What attitudes or personality traits can we enhance through art?What can we inspire each other to bring into our lives? I love to hear from others and glean the goodness of nature everyone feels. Send me a comment, message, or email with any commissions or just ideas! I hope to create a community of people who can really relate to nature and to each other.