I am a watercolor artist who begins in the field, and I draw on my observations, photographs, and design sensibility to create intimate ecological portraits of native birds in their habitats. Birds are harbingers of seasons and hallmarks of place. They are adorable, stunning, bizarre, and grotesque. Through them, I can tell a story of a moment in time, in a place that persists beyond me. My attention becomes an act of love, and my rendering an act of homage. 

Moments of wild observation can be fleeting, but their impressions are lasting. Seeing a heron take flight, or an eagle holding vigil, or a wren singing on a branch takes me out of myself and propels me into the vastness we call nature. I become more attuned to the seasons and the signs they bring to my Mid-Atlantic home: palm warblers and eastern phoebes in the spring, dark-eyed juncos and white-throated sparrows in the autumn. This rhythmic experience of time can be a refuge. That is what I try to honor in my paintings, and what I hope to give to those who view them.

Watercolor is an ideal medium for my work because it has a fluid, elemental immediacy that evokes the natural world. There is a long tradition here as well. I like to feel that I’m continuing the lineage of artist-naturalists who found this medium to be a trusted friend in capturing the life of their wild spaces. In my ecological portraits, I aim to maintain a painterly quality and make the special properties of watercolor as apparent as the subject. Granulation, gradation, and glazing are visible throughout my work. 

In a changing climate, my practice also carries the weight of documentation, preserving a memory of places, seasons, and species whose continued presence is uncertain. By offering close observation elevated through thoughtful design, I hope to foster gratitude and respect for these delicate yet resilient creatures.‍