Yes, these are watercolor paintings, and NOT photographs. I get asked that question often, and figured that would be the best place to start. It’s all about the eyes really. I love painting eyes, and I love how the eyes of an animal can really make a piece come to life. I regularly spend as much time on the eyes of the animal, as I do the rest of the piece combined. And if I do my job right, those ‘eyes’ will be following you no matter where you stand!
While I have been drawing and sketching since a young child, it was not until after I graduated college that a good friend took me under his wing and taught me how to watercolor paint. Now, I paint almost exclusively wildlife, and am primarily known for my Buffalo (Bison) pieces. Buffalo are such amazing animals. They can run faster than a horse, and jump to clear a 6 foot fence, even though they weigh more than 2,000 pounds!
With living in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and being so near to Custer State Park (which has the 2nd largest Buffalo herd in the Nation), I have the wonderful pleasure of hanging out with these animals all the time! And thankfully, with the support of my collectors, I now paint full-time, traveling to art shows throughout Arizona, South Dakota, and Montana.
