Meet the Artist

Wedged between city streets and wooded hillsides, I grew up in my backyard surrounded by summer breezes whispering in the trees, the smells of honeysuckle and sodden earth after a storm, and distant birdsong on a rainy day. The Painter’s Nest is my home; it’s the trails and deep forests of the Mountain State, the trees behind my childhood home, and my backyard tucked between green hills and urban sprawl. It’s a collection of places and memories inspiring my love for nature and capturing the essence of the natural world in watercolor.

The comfort I feel outside weaves into my paintings and teaching style; I want others to feel and experience that same comfort and happiness in my workshops and artwork. My paintings are a creative exploration of our connection to the natural world. I’m drawn to fleeting glimpses and the stillness of nature—from lost feathers on the forest floor, robins perched atop the chain link fence, crawdads nestled along crick beds, and woodland creatures beyond the thicket. Creatures big and small live in my sketchbook; their portraits adorn my walls, bringing the beauty and solace of nature indoors—a feeling I want to share with others who love and appreciate nature, seek adventure, and desire to explore their surroundings.