I've been drawing and writing as far back as I can remember. And based on stories and scribbles in books around the house, I started long before my memory serves.
For nearly my whole life, I struggled with voice, and sticking to one medium. Sticking with one thing never really worked well for me. As a result, I assumed that I was not a successful artist because I could not limit myself to one thing. I flipped constantly between writing and art, and with art, I flipped between painting, drawing, design, pottery, and illustration.
It wasn't until recently that I decided that I didn't have to do just one thing. I could do them all. And when I did that, I was a lot happier...
Each artist has a process and that process is often built upon intent. My process begins with what inspires and moves me. Is my message about MY experience, or is the subject matter or expression a universal one? Is my motivation to communicate a message about bees in general, a more universal concept or idea, or is it about appreciation for a particular bee? If the bee is a particular bee, the work often leans as closely to representational as I can get. Those kinds of questions typically determine whether or not I am moving into the abstract. From there, I choose the subject matter, medium, size.
The style and the medium become as much a part of the story and experience as the subject matter itself and for that reason, it changes based on message and intent. That isn't to say that I am regularly all over the map with little attention paid to consistency of style or bodies of work. On the contrary, I have created firm and lasting boundaries and rules within the process that serve to guide my work toward that which can be easily identified when looking at my work as a whole.
By working in this way, I've found I accomplish more in my work and am able to surrender more fully to conveying my messages in the clearest way that I can, and consistently honor the creative process by circumventing perceived limitations that in the past have prevented me from saying all that I want to say with my work.
Working in this way also brings more to my viewers. It honors my values by allowing me to bring my values and full expression to the world. I hope in your taking time to learn about my process that it helps you understand and enjoy my work that much more.
With regard to production, my watercolor work is typically nature-inspired, wildlife, and commission-based. My abstract work - in oils and acrylics - tends to be larger, and often incorporates elements of nature, and my illustrations are typically done in watercolor and pen and ink.
Because my goal is to inspire others to learn more about themselves, their art, and their relationships with others and the natural world, I hope you love what you see, love experiencing my work, and are inspired by it to do more with your work, the planet, and the people in your life.
For nearly my whole life, I struggled with voice, and sticking to one medium. Sticking with one thing never really worked well for me. As a result, I assumed that I was not a successful artist because I could not limit myself to one thing. I flipped constantly between writing and art, and with art, I flipped between painting, drawing, design, pottery, and illustration.
It wasn't until recently that I decided that I didn't have to do just one thing. I could do them all. And when I did that, I was a lot happier...
Each artist has a process and that process is often built upon intent. My process begins with what inspires and moves me. Is my message about MY experience, or is the subject matter or expression a universal one? Is my motivation to communicate a message about bees in general, a more universal concept or idea, or is it about appreciation for a particular bee? If the bee is a particular bee, the work often leans as closely to representational as I can get. Those kinds of questions typically determine whether or not I am moving into the abstract. From there, I choose the subject matter, medium, size.
The style and the medium become as much a part of the story and experience as the subject matter itself and for that reason, it changes based on message and intent. That isn't to say that I am regularly all over the map with little attention paid to consistency of style or bodies of work. On the contrary, I have created firm and lasting boundaries and rules within the process that serve to guide my work toward that which can be easily identified when looking at my work as a whole.
By working in this way, I've found I accomplish more in my work and am able to surrender more fully to conveying my messages in the clearest way that I can, and consistently honor the creative process by circumventing perceived limitations that in the past have prevented me from saying all that I want to say with my work.
Working in this way also brings more to my viewers. It honors my values by allowing me to bring my values and full expression to the world. I hope in your taking time to learn about my process that it helps you understand and enjoy my work that much more.
With regard to production, my watercolor work is typically nature-inspired, wildlife, and commission-based. My abstract work - in oils and acrylics - tends to be larger, and often incorporates elements of nature, and my illustrations are typically done in watercolor and pen and ink.
Because my goal is to inspire others to learn more about themselves, their art, and their relationships with others and the natural world, I hope you love what you see, love experiencing my work, and are inspired by it to do more with your work, the planet, and the people in your life.