At the University of Georgia, I studied both biology and fine art. I received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Fine Art in 1998. Hearing the call of New York, I moved to Manhattan where I worked as a scientific illustrator at the American Museum of Natural History. During this time I also studied figure drawing at the Art Students League and fell in love with the form of the human figure.  This interest led me to pursue a career in medical illustration. In 2003, I received a Master of Arts in Medical and Biological Illustration from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Over the next ten years, I worked tirelessly to become one of the top illustrators in the field, receiving awards from the leading professional organization, the Association of Medical Illustrators. In 2013, I decided it was time to change my focus while keeping the subject the same. My current work is reflective of the natural world around me; horses, rural landscapes, southern marshes and seascapes are well documented. There is richness to the flora, fauna and culture that sweeps into every fiber of your life. Being Southern means you see the darkness in life as well as the beauty. There is a full range of life teeming just below the surface. This creative process of observing, appreciating, then documenting both the seen and unseen is both honest and satisfying. I enjoy watching the final piece arise from the canvas almost as much as the finished work of art itself. Each piece contains the time stamp of the moment of creation, the original intent and something all its own. I work in a variety of mediums, though my favorite is a combination of watercolor and pencil. This medium allows me to be highly detailed in some areas while in others allowing the paint to mix and flow in an organic way, pushing and pulling the media. This mixture obeys gravity and reacts to the paper--it does not always stay within the lines. A simple reminder that we live in a world where things are not always under our control and that can be a good thing.