I am a self-taught artist who picked up a brush for the first time in 2008. I love natural things, and all things animals, except snakes. The forest is a peaceful place having grown up around some of the most pristine woods. My inspiration for many of my paintings are the things I love and what I find to be the most joyful and peaceful. I also paint what I fear: Tornadoes. No, I have never seen one other than on a TV, and I never wish to, but I live in a Tornado Alley State, and that's enough for me.