I picked up a paintbrush for what I thought was the last time when I entered a statewide poster contest for the American Legion. The prompt, as I remember it now, was to use a specific given phrase, and somehow incorporate poppies. The point was to represent the American Legion and honor fallen service members and their families. There were several grade levels participating, and I went for it. I read the prompt and thought, easy.

My idea was to convey a gravestone with the phrase with poppies strewn around – everything was monochromatic black and white while the poppies were in red. I thought this was the strongest way to show poppies were still the focus. I wasn’t great with drawing or proportions, so the gravestone became more of a monument size compared to the poppies. It was actually perfect. I won third? place in the state and $300.

The only other time I picked up a brush was for a general art class assignment: a monochromatic blue snake plant that ended up getting chosen by my teacher for the class display.

I didn’t pick up another paintbrush until the pandemic, because I received acrylic paint as a gift. Around the same time, I decided to return to school for an MBA in data analytics, so I was very open to learning and starting new.

My very first acrylic painting from this time can actually be found scrolling near the beginning of my Instagram. It was a midnight river scene. I continued on with an interest in landscapes because in my mind, that required little drawing skills.

I was learning more art concepts and more of my work started with simple pencil sketches. Still life felt intimidating to try because I associated it with cleaner more precise drawings – precision of lines and proportions. I wasn’t ready for the level of patience I thought that required. Animals got my attention as a bridge between these two subjects: larger shapes to identify than still lifes and textures like fur that resemble the same busyness in landscapes.

Painting animals unlocked a new perspective in my mind and actually reinforced my ability to see and convey landscapes. I finally considered multiple art concepts at once and was building on my art skills.

Eventually I started oil painting, beginning with landscapes again, but I loved the medium so much I never went back to acrylic. The same pattern repeated, except faster – landscapes leading into animals – and this time animals took up more and more of my focus, until eventually I branched into still life as well.

The animal collection is my first comprehensive set of paintings carrying a theme that grew naturally rather than being intentionally planned. One where I’m still learning my style: colors, textures, techniques, without committing to one process or subject.

Shop the animal collection here.