Emerald Painting

Born in the Midwest, USA and I live in Columbia, Missouri. I've lived in mid-Missouri for most of my life. Artistic influences include Kathe Kollwitz, David Webb, Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Picasso, and many more. I draw most of my inspiration from the world around me, with a love of landscapes and plants. My mediums include watercolor, pen/ink, pencil, charcoal, acrylics, and clay. I'm still figuring out how to start oil painting. Watercolor is intensely challenging for me because my natural medium is pen/pencil and I use those to draw things as I see them (realism). Watercolor, being the squishy and unpredictable medium that it is, broadens my perspective of what is beautiful by forcing me to accept the unexpected and find ways to incorporate those moments into the broader work. I'm very much self-taught, though I took classes in high school and for one semester in college. I'd love to find an artist mentor. My personal collection features a lot of my own art, and my family have a few of my pieces. I'd love to contribute to other collections around the world.