Blog

This is the first in a series of blogs exploring my artistic process while giving you a glimpse into my world.

My artistic process begins outdoors—hiking, plein air painting, or simply driving down a country road. I take in every detail—the colors, textures, and curves. Cultivating this awareness trains my eyes to see patterns and meanings others might miss. This deepens my perception, fuels inspiration, and brings authenticity and emotion to my work.

I spend long, wonderful days in nature, slowly hiking as I photograph wildlife, trees, moss, and rocks—pausing often, which helps on the steep trails! My camera is my favorite tool for capturing fleeting moments, from swift squirrels to the gentle flow of a creek around a rock. I notice the curl of a dry grass leaf, the moss on a stone like splashes of paint—small details that later inspire my paintings, making them more vivid, meaningful, and authentic.

I rarely use other people’s references; using my own wildlife photography means a lot to me. It helps me  bring my own unique experience/vision to my art. This does limit the variety of what I paint, since there are many critters, I have never seen in the woods. Though, I am sure they have seen me. I suppose the selection of critters I get to paint is part of who I am and what makes my work unique.

I take a lot of photos. To say I am a shutter bug is an understatement. If I see an animal that I have never seen in the wild before or rarely see, I will easily take 500+ photos. My heart races and I scramble to get the shots while marveling at these magnificent and clever animals. There are times I’ll just be shooting blindly and hoping I catch a good one. Sometimes it works! We wildlife enthusiasts will climb right over you to get the shot if need be. (giggle) This (below) is an artist friend of mine climbing over her husband to get a shot of a bison and her baby. Something I may have also done when my husband was driving.

Why so many photos? I want every angle, every pose. Motion shots and all the funny expressions or positions are my favourites. There’s a good possibility I will never see them again in this lighting, or this season. I want to remember it all. I have taken a lot of pride in building my library of wildlife and landscape references. I am not a professional photographer, but I do love to capture good photos. 

Once I find a reference that truly speaks to me, I move to the next step—building a composition. I typically use 2–5 images, each contributing to the final piece. Sometimes, I create a “Frankenstein” composition in Photoshop, combining elements like an animal from one photo with a different background. This refined collage becomes my main reference for the final painting.

When photographing wildlife, I consider composition whenever possible. If not, I will refine it later by cropping images or creating thumbnail sketches to test layouts and colors. Once satisfied, I move to the canvas.

PS: These first few blog entries are focused on getting to know me and my art process. If you have any thoughts on what else you’d like me to write about, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear what you think.