“I live in rural NY State in the USA, where I am surrounded by all I love most: a natural setting of eastern deciduous forest and wildlife, where visiting birds are a special delight. In addition to the company of wild birds, I happily keep a flock of chickens and am entertained by their individual personalities. I also keep the companionship of a wonderful pet cockatiel in my home. The wild and domestic birds are endless inspiration for my work, even finding their way into my fantasy art, where the imaginative creatures are given the same attention to detail, anatomy, and behavior as their real counterparts. I share my life and adventures with my supportive partner.
My interests are very similar to the artwork I create; birds especially are a passion of mine and I spend long hours observing and studying them both in the wild as well as via literature. I love exploring the natural world and enjoy learning about both flora and fauna. Every walk outdoors is a nature walk, and hikes are often long affairs with more stopping and looking than actual hiking. I also love learning about and applying long-term sustainability ideals to my property both in gardening and also in restoring native habitat. Growing and restoring native plant species is a special interest in particular.
Most of the birds in this group of paintings are individuals that I’ve gotten to know in my own backyard. I’ve been kindling a deep connection with them over the last several years, as I’ve worked to improve their habitat and re-establish the native plants in the little tiny piece of the earth I call my yard. I’ve been finding myself very inspired by both the familiar bird visitors and behaviors as well as all the new species and interactions I’ve been seeing. These paintings reflect my sense of wonder in the things found close to home.”