There's nothing like the richness of oil paint to capture the brilliant color and depth of feathers, fur and skin. It's still my favorite media, even though I do a lot of work in watercolor/gouache which is very linear and highly suited to fine details. Large paintings are nearly always done in oil, and the smaller ones typically are in watercolor/gouache.
Artist's Statement
I grew up in Big Bear Lake, CA surrounded by a National Forest. Conservation, fire safety, wildlife and ecology are naturally major themes for residents in that community. I can remember being thrilled with the natural world and wildlife of all kinds as a child. I regularly participated in the Forest Service’s conservation poster contests from kindergarten through high school. We also learned to properly plant Ponderosa and Jeffrey pine trees in burn areas for the Forest Service. This is where my education began on the value of habitat and it’s management.
While the primary focus of my art started with local California wildlife, it naturally grew to include species from all over the world. The variety of color, form and function of each insect, bird, animal and plant in an ecosystem is exciting and magical to me. And there are so many! I am continually inspired by what I see and learn. I let the big things draw me in, and then spend as much time as possible, looking for the unusual and tiny details and behaviors that are often missed by the casual glance.
Many hours of working with live birds and animals, field studies, photographic expeditions and the use of museum skins goes into the production of each painting. Most of the time, my research goes far beyond what’s needed for an artwork, but careful study offers insight into the subtleties of behavior, form and color that a camera could miss. I work hard to bring that little extra “something” into each artwork. I don’t want to just paint pictures of animals—I’m creating portraits of the individuals who share this planet with us.
My desire is to raise awareness with my art of the value and amazing variety of life in our world. I want to share the jewels of nature with others and to help them understand that the richness of our existence is dependent on the animals and the beautiful places in the world. We humans have the power to protect the animals and the environment. Unfortunately most people don’t get to see and experience wildlife “up close and personal”. Our technological society is creating more and more distance between humans and the natural world. If people don’t know what’s out there, they will never care enough about preserving the animals and the environment. Simply catching a flash of iridescent feathers on the throat of a tiny hummingbird or rainbow colored chevrons on the backs of flying Scarlet Macaws can generate a spark to take someone from apathy to enchantment and engagement in protecting nature.
For me, nature and wildlife art is more than just a visual form of communication. My intention for the viewer is communion. Capturing a bit of nature through my art is an activity I love…and a spiritual practice. I want my art to inspire others the way it inspires me, and to evoke a feeling of connectedness with all life on this planet.
Thoughts and Wisdom About Nature:
I grew up in Big Bear Lake, CA surrounded by a National Forest. Conservation, fire safety, wildlife and ecology are naturally major themes for residents in that community. I can remember being thrilled with the natural world and wildlife of all kinds as a child. I regularly participated in the Forest Service’s conservation poster contests from kindergarten through high school. We also learned to properly plant Ponderosa and Jeffrey pine trees in burn areas for the Forest Service. This is where my education began on the value of habitat and it’s management.
While the primary focus of my art started with local California wildlife, it naturally grew to include species from all over the world. The variety of color, form and function of each insect, bird, animal and plant in an ecosystem is exciting and magical to me. And there are so many! I am continually inspired by what I see and learn. I let the big things draw me in, and then spend as much time as possible, looking for the unusual and tiny details and behaviors that are often missed by the casual glance.
Many hours of working with live birds and animals, field studies, photographic expeditions and the use of museum skins goes into the production of each painting. Most of the time, my research goes far beyond what’s needed for an artwork, but careful study offers insight into the subtleties of behavior, form and color that a camera could miss. I work hard to bring that little extra “something” into each artwork. I don’t want to just paint pictures of animals—I’m creating portraits of the individuals who share this planet with us.
My desire is to raise awareness with my art of the value and amazing variety of life in our world. I want to share the jewels of nature with others and to help them understand that the richness of our existence is dependent on the animals and the beautiful places in the world. We humans have the power to protect the animals and the environment. Unfortunately most people don’t get to see and experience wildlife “up close and personal”. Our technological society is creating more and more distance between humans and the natural world. If people don’t know what’s out there, they will never care enough about preserving the animals and the environment. Simply catching a flash of iridescent feathers on the throat of a tiny hummingbird or rainbow colored chevrons on the backs of flying Scarlet Macaws can generate a spark to take someone from apathy to enchantment and engagement in protecting nature.
For me, nature and wildlife art is more than just a visual form of communication. My intention for the viewer is communion. Capturing a bit of nature through my art is an activity I love…and a spiritual practice. I want my art to inspire others the way it inspires me, and to evoke a feeling of connectedness with all life on this planet.
Thoughts and Wisdom About Nature:
- Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein
- A human being is part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole [of] nature in its beauty. ~Albert Einstein, 1950
- There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet. ~Brooke Medicine Eagle
