Growing up in Colorado has had a big influence on my work. I spent a lot of time hiking and backpacking in the Colorado mountains as a child. Spending that much time in nature gave me a deep appreciation for the beauty that it provides. My Dad is a horticulturist so he was always identifying types of plants, which sparked my love of all things related to plants and animals. We had a beautiful garden as I was growing up and my parents gave me my own little plot of land to grow things on. Art and nature have been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I create nature and environment-themed artwork. I really can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making artwork; I started making as a young child, picking flowers and other plants from our yard and using their pigments as paint. I have been an artist all of my life; I have never wanted to be anything else and have been working as an artist in Denver for nearly 15 years now. Before I was a full-time artist, I was a graphic and web designer. I have my associate degree in graphic design and my BFA in multimedia, a hybrid fine art and commercial art degree. I thought it would be important to have a more technical skill set to make money in case the whole art thing didn’t work out. It served me well in the beginning of my career, but my real passion has always been fine art.
My artistic medium consists of a myriad of ethically sourced materials, paint and clay. I am a mixed media artist, working in both 2D and 3D. I choose elements from nature as my medium because it provides me with endless inspiration. Nature itself gives me my supplies and my ideas. My creative style definitely changes from one body of work to another. It can be very clean and minimalistic, with a scientific edge; it can also be more ornate, complex or natural looking. It really depends on the message I am trying to convey with a specific body of work.
My ideas are mostly derived from the objects that I feel a connection to in nature. I collect all kinds of specimens in which I can see the potential for a piece of artwork. I am an avid reader and devour science fiction and horror. Science fiction writers have absolutely inspired me. There is always a sense of something ominous in my work that I attribute to the influence that science fiction films and novels have had on me.
My work is my homage to the beauty of nature.
I reached a pivotal moment in my evolution as an artist after my husband and I went on a trip around the world. We had wanted to travel since before we were married and were in a place that we could finally make it happen. We quit our jobs, put all of our stuff in storage and embarked on a 3 ½ month trip to Italy, India and New Zealand. Along the way, I collected amazing plant specimens that I had never seen before. When we returned home, I had so much inspiration from our travels that I couldn’t wait to get to work.
Visual language is incredible to me in that it can evoke a feeling without the use of verbal communication. I believe that the role of artists in society is to connect all of us on a much deeper level. This is achieved by the artist seeking out beauty and ideas and translating those into something that viewers can feel a connection to. I feel that connecting to each other and our environment is something that is severely lacking in our culture and it is my role to bridge just a small part of that gap.
My artistic process always begins with something from nature that inspires me. I also scour Etsy and eBay in search of unique items that can be made into art. The first step is sourcing the main component, whether that is a skull, bug, branch or other organic material. Then the actual gathering of “accessories” begins—every time I leave my house, I am on the lookout for bits of nature that I find inspiring. I can then begin to build each of my pieces around the objects that I’ve collected, either by mounting the centerpiece to a canvas or letting it stand on its own. I then manipulate the object in a way that will show how humans have the power to manipulate nature. This can involve changing the color of an object with paints or adding to it with clay.
I will further modify the art piece by growing real crystals on an object to give it an obvious “changed” appearance, as if it has undergone a dramatic event. I grow crystals by making a saturated solution from various chemicals, heating the solution, adding the object I want to grow crystals on to the solution and letting it cool slowly. The process takes anywhere from eight hours up to a couple of weeks. The last and final step often includes creating a painting by using a basic acrylics fluid art technique. The object is then fully incorporated into the painting.
My work carries a message. By altering skulls, insects and other objects, I aim to call attention to the way that human beings are altering the environment. I am deeply concerned about the future of our planet and I hope that my work is a reminder of how beautiful nature is, but also that we must take care of it in order to survive. If we don’t have air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat and a space in which to do that, then all of the struggle and conflict we go through is for nothing.
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, and reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”
— Kurt Vonnegut
In addition to making art, I own a jewelry design business, Winter Garden Studios, making botanical jewelry. This business allows me to fund my art career and also have enough free time to pursue my art. I have a studio in my house where I can create whenever I feel inspired. I am a member of Next Gallery in Lakewood, Colorado, a co-op gallery where I have a solo show once a year. Having a space to create and a gallery to show in is what makes me feel content.
Hanging on to my dream of being an artist is arguably my biggest accomplishment. There have been moments when I wanted to give up, but my relentless love of art allowed me to continue on. I feel proud that I am able to keep making a new body of work every year and continue expanding my art career. I recently took a trip to Maui, Hawaii and was inspired by how incredibly beautiful the environment is there. My new work will include seahorses, shells, crabs and other marine life. I haven’t really worked too much with oceanic specimens before, so this is exciting new territory!
Human beings are altering the environment
I really am just a giant nerd at heart. I am obsessed with science, science fiction and reading. I am an introvert and my ideal evening consists of watching some nerdy show and reading until I fall asleep. For me, an artistic outlook means that I am constantly observing. Whether it’s the environment or the people around me, I am always looking for beautiful things, meaningful interactions and inspiration! There is never a time when I’m not thinking about art and ideas for new pieces.
Growing up in Colorado has had a big influence on my work. I spent a lot of time hiking and backpacking in the Colorado mountains as a child. Spending that much time in nature gave me a deep appreciation for the beauty that it provides. My Dad is a horticulturist so he was always identifying types of plants, which sparked my love of all things related to plants and animals. We had a beautiful garden as I was growing up and my parents gave me my own little plot of land to grow things on. Art and nature have been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I create nature and environment-themed artwork. I really can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making artwork; I started making as a young child, picking flowers and other plants from our yard and using their pigments as paint. I have been an artist all of my life; I have never wanted to be anything else and have been working as an artist in Denver for nearly 15 years now. Before I was a full-time artist, I was a graphic and web designer. I have my associate degree in graphic design and my BFA in multimedia, a hybrid fine art and commercial art degree. I thought it would be important to have a more technical skill set to make money in case the whole art thing didn’t work out. It served me well in the beginning of my career, but my real passion has always been fine art.
My artistic medium consists of a myriad of ethically sourced materials, paint and clay. I am a mixed media artist, working in both 2D and 3D. I choose elements from nature as my medium because it provides me with endless inspiration. Nature itself gives me my supplies and my ideas. My creative style definitely changes from one body of work to another. It can be very clean and minimalistic, with a scientific edge; it can also be more ornate, complex or natural looking. It really depends on the message I am trying to convey with a specific body of work.
My ideas are mostly derived from the objects that I feel a connection to in nature. I collect all kinds of specimens in which I can see the potential for a piece of artwork. I am an avid reader and devour science fiction and horror. Science fiction writers have absolutely inspired me. There is always a sense of something ominous in my work that I attribute to the influence that science fiction films and novels have had on me.
My work is my homage to the beauty of nature.
I reached a pivotal moment in my evolution as an artist after my husband and I went on a trip around the world. We had wanted to travel since before we were married and were in a place that we could finally make it happen. We quit our jobs, put all of our stuff in storage and embarked on a 3 ½ month trip to Italy, India and New Zealand. Along the way, I collected amazing plant specimens that I had never seen before. When we returned home, I had so much inspiration from our travels that I couldn’t wait to get to work.
Visual language is incredible to me in that it can evoke a feeling without the use of verbal communication. I believe that the role of artists in society is to connect all of us on a much deeper level. This is achieved by the artist seeking out beauty and ideas and translating those into something that viewers can feel a connection to. I feel that connecting to each other and our environment is something that is severely lacking in our culture and it is my role to bridge just a small part of that gap.
My artistic process always begins with something from nature that inspires me. I also scour Etsy and eBay in search of unique items that can be made into art. The first step is sourcing the main component, whether that is a skull, bug, branch or other organic material. Then the actual gathering of “accessories” begins—every time I leave my house, I am on the lookout for bits of nature that I find inspiring. I can then begin to build each of my pieces around the objects that I’ve collected, either by mounting the centerpiece to a canvas or letting it stand on its own. I then manipulate the object in a way that will show how humans have the power to manipulate nature. This can involve changing the color of an object with paints or adding to it with clay.
I will further modify the art piece by growing real crystals on an object to give it an obvious “changed” appearance, as if it has undergone a dramatic event. I grow crystals by making a saturated solution from various chemicals, heating the solution, adding the object I want to grow crystals on to the solution and letting it cool slowly. The process takes anywhere from eight hours up to a couple of weeks. The last and final step often includes creating a painting by using a basic acrylics fluid art technique. The object is then fully incorporated into the painting.
My work carries a message. By altering skulls, insects and other objects, I aim to call attention to the way that human beings are altering the environment. I am deeply concerned about the future of our planet and I hope that my work is a reminder of how beautiful nature is, but also that we must take care of it in order to survive. If we don’t have air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat and a space in which to do that, then all of the struggle and conflict we go through is for nothing.
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, and reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”
— Kurt Vonnegut
In addition to making art, I own a jewelry design business, Winter Garden Studios, making botanical jewelry. This business allows me to fund my art career and also have enough free time to pursue my art. I have a studio in my house where I can create whenever I feel inspired. I am a member of Next Gallery in Lakewood, Colorado, a co-op gallery where I have a solo show once a year. Having a space to create and a gallery to show in is what makes me feel content.
Hanging on to my dream of being an artist is arguably my biggest accomplishment. There have been moments when I wanted to give up, but my relentless love of art allowed me to continue on. I feel proud that I am able to keep making a new body of work every year and continue expanding my art career. I recently took a trip to Maui, Hawaii and was inspired by how incredibly beautiful the environment is there. My new work will include seahorses, shells, crabs and other marine life. I haven’t really worked too much with oceanic specimens before, so this is exciting new territory!
Human beings are altering the environment
I really am just a giant nerd at heart. I am obsessed with science, science fiction and reading. I am an introvert and my ideal evening consists of watching some nerdy show and reading until I fall asleep. For me, an artistic outlook means that I am constantly observing. Whether it’s the environment or the people around me, I am always looking for beautiful things, meaningful interactions and inspiration! There is never a time when I’m not thinking about art and ideas for new pieces.
