About The Artist

About Me
I come from a family of artists, musicians, & gardeners in the gently rolling Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. From an early age I devoured books and movies that led to making up my own characters and illustrations. My parents never had to force me to take lessons; I chose both drawing and fiddle as outlets for my creativity. While I spent my teenage years sketching out copies of expressive Japanese manga illustrations I was also learning Celtic music, then Appalachian old time, which bolstered a deep appreciation for the particular uniqueness of my home. Somewhere in my twenties I started planting tomatoes and noticed the birds coming to eat the grubs and worms that surfaced in the soil. My attentions shifted from summer vegetables to year-round native plants, and my artwork shifted from imagined illustrations to flourished observation of the wild splendor all around me.

From 2004 to 2010 I studied art at UNC Asheville while simultaneously playing in local bands, and I even took a couple breaks from school to focus on gigs. However, my studies revealed the strong pull toward painting. I set out to be a professional artist and today I am profoundly grateful to be a full-time painter, merging my art with my love of the natural world.

Statement
My work speaks to my experience as an amateur naturalist of the Southeastern US. I use colorful layers of flora and ornamental details to frame vignettes of wildlife and female figures. Throughout mythology around the world animals are used to symbolize a connection between the physical and spiritual realms, to represent strength or courage, or serve as a messenger of good or bad omens. I honor this narrative within my work as a way to keep myself anchored to the marvels of nature, and to remind myself that we are not separate from it.