The Freckled Side

I started my first illustrated and watercolor animal series as a push to stretch my line usage express my connection to nature. From  there, I created my "Giant Series," adding more detail, playing with abstract imagery and teasing out habitat backgrounds. 

I added tiny people hanging onto the animals, as a way to help humans connect with nature and their ever going need to fight to survive.  

As I personally experience anxiety, I decided to depict, through my art, what that means to me. My images were drawn as various "creatures" as a way to express the pain. I continued to think beyond my personal experience, creating a series of what I imagined what people may be going through. I put these images together in a poster, called "Time to Talk." I hope this effort lessens the stigma of these illnesses creates a space where meaningful conversation can take place.

When I started the giant series I drew primarily in grey scale.  One of my very first pieces was a whale jumping out of the sea, with a little person on its’ nose. I took  my  love  of  animals  and  let  everything  else  flow. I  also  began  to  feel,  with  our  current environmental crisis, there was no better time to capture these beautiful creatures before they disappear entirely.  Technically, I love to shade my pieces with pencils to varying depths and degrees. In this series however, shading has  a layered  meaning; the  animals are  greying out  of our  lives  in  every sense.  This series of artwork is my expression of a living window into nature.