Painting and Wildlife – A Few of My Favorite Things.

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Now that I got one of the catchiest songs from the great Julie Andrews stuck in your head, let’s get to it!

If there are two things in my life that help make me who I am, its painting and wildlife.

I have always been a painter, but it wasn’t until recently that I really found my own style and rhythm with acrylic paints. And if I’m being honest, the same goes for my passion for wildlife. Animals have been a part of my life since I was little, but I’m finally getting to share my involvement with others (specifically with wildlife rehabilitation).

I have been playing with the idea of writing this blog post for a while now, and I’m excited to finally give it the attention it deserves!

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Back to the beginning!

Lets take it back to middle school for a minute… If your birthday fell on a weekday (or if it was one of your ‘besties’ birthdays), you had a special shirt. And so did your whole friend group. It was most likely decorated with puffy paint, with all of the colors you owned. Add ribbons and bows, funky cuts in random places, and just like that- you had yourself a birthday shirt.

I can safely say that I painted about 30 different shirts over the years, for birthdays, last days of school, and whatever else us teenagers deemed worthy of a decorated shirt.

This is probably one of the first sparks of joy that I had when it came to painting. In all honesty, most of those shirts were pretty cringe-worthy, and I’m okay with that (’cause who’s judging?).

But, I was always creating. I’d paint my nails, each one with a different design. I painted shoes, for myself and for friends, all throughout middle & high school. Then it was backpacks. Of course I painted canvases in between the bright shoes and all, but they were always quick and to the point.

Actually, just about everything had potential to be my canvas, as you can see below.

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Its all in the Detail.

After starting college in 2014, I found myself experimenting with more detailed canvas paintings.

This is where the real fun began…

I painted my first portrait in 2015, as well as the first pair of antlers I ever did. Also, this phone case needed some love and a hummingbird did the trick! (See below!)

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Without even realizing it, I was incorporating so much wildlife into my paintings. Looking back, I am so happy that I did because I get to see how far I’ve come since then!

In fact, 2018 was the first year where I really started to focus on my wildlife pieces.

This chunky scrub jay was the first bird I painted on a bigger canvas, and I’m still so excited about it!

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Then Hummingbirds were my focus, along with Cardinals, Orioles, and Blue Jays. As you can see, a donkey named Tangy, a hungry chipmunk, and a flounder fish all made the cut as well.

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The Vinyl Cactus

One thing that I take pride in with my paintings is that most (if not all) are based off of pictures that I have taken myself while out and about in nature. When I walk by a painting that hangs on our wall, I am reminded of the day that the photo was taken, and what adventure we were on. I think that adds something special to my art; I’m proud of that!

For more inspiration, head to my post on Bird Watching!

Once I shifted my focus to wildlife paintings, I really found my happy place when the brush hit canvas.

I am excited to say that I was finally able to get some prints of my artwork listed to my Etsy shop, The Vinyl Cactus! (Click here to head straight to my shop!)

I have chosen a couple of my favorites to sell, and I think you’re really going to enjoy them!

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Titles and Backstories:

Much like boats, each painting has a name.

• “Two Lovers Point” – Inspired by the female in the cliffs of Two Lovers Point in Guam.
• “Allen’s Hummingbird” – Simply because I love hummers. 🙂
• “Campsite Scorpion” – He glows in the path of my blacklight, found near our campsite in Arizona.
• “Goose on the Lake“- A hybrid Canada goose we met at the lake earlier this year.
• “Flicky (Northern Flicker)” – I was lucky enough to get a picture of the first time we saw a flicker in our tree, and that is the inspiration for this painting!

As of now, prints are available in either 4 x 6in, or 8 x 10in. (The scorpion is available in a 5 x 5in square).

P.S. If you spend $35 or more in my shop, you’ll automatically get free shipping!

Commission paintings are also something that I enjoy doing, so make sure you let me know if that’s something you’re interested in! (Send me a message through Etsy convos to get started!)

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Sharing my art with you has been a huge step for me. If you’ve made it this far, I appreciate you!

As the owner of two small businesses and a blog, I know what it means to have the support of friends and family members to make it through this endeavor. But after writing this post, I hope that I can get the same love and support from my readers. It truly means the world to me!

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Now, it your turn to share… What inspires you?

Do you have a specific type of art that you enjoy? I’d love to learn more- be sure to leave a comment below!