Artist's Philosophy While I experiment with many artistic mediums, acrylic landscape paintings have been my bread and butter. I draw inspiration from the environment around us that seems too easy to take for granted these days.
My paintings are an invitation to slow down, look a little longer, and pay attention to the landscapes that shape our communities. I’m interested in the small things that make a place feel like itself: how it catches the light, the edge of the water, the color of the foliage, or the placement of the beings that call it home.
I hope my work reminds people that extraordinary places aren’t always somewhere far away. Sometimes they’re right down the road, and they are worth protecting and cherishing.
My art is also shaped by professional experience in the environmental and water sectors, where I’ve seen how closely our relationships with place are tied to larger questions of resilience and environmental stewardship. Our environment is shaped by the policies that dictate preservation, responsible use, and well-funded research. (I’m always down to have a conversation about what that means to me. )
I have experience developing and leading public programs that welcomed many participants, and community engagement remains one of the parts of work I care about most. I have also happily volunteered my time to teach art and enrich our community.
I’m especially interested in using art to make complex environmental ideas feel more immediate, human, and approachable. Maybe you glance at my canvas and get a pleasant impression of a place you’ve passed by… but maybe, if you really look at it, you can genuinely connect with it, and most importantly, care about what happens to it next.
So pick up the litter, make the campfire soup, and take an extra moment to take it all in. We’re lucky to be here. I am reminded of that every time I pick up a paint brush.
All of this to say, I believe there is real magic in paying attention to the world around us. I hope my paintings capture a little of that light, wonder, and sense of place.
Brand photos brought to you by the artistic eye and raw talent of Wilson Smith: https://www.wilsonarealsmith.com/
I like to admire art just as much as I create it. I find the components of a painting as interesting as the components of a computer. It’s just less motherboard, CPU, RAM, and circuitry, and more composition, color, tone, and stylistic choices.
But when I’m not doing that, you’ll find me minding my business (for the most part) and playing Fornite with a mocha latte within reach. Other than that: I love my husband, Tom, and am very big on Go Birds!!!
