Rooted in Ranch Life
Art has always been part of my life, even if I cannot pinpoint exactly where it began. I remember watching my mom draw from time to time, and my dad would often doodle while talking on the phone. My parents later signed me up for private lessons with Rosemary, who taught me the foundations of drawing, perspective, and seeing the world through an artist’s eye.
Today, my artwork is deeply connected to the life we live on the ranch in western North Dakota. Ranch life changes with every season. From calving and moving cattle to haying and bale grazing, there is always work to be done. But if you stop long enough to look around, there is beauty everywhere. The movement of cattle and horses, the structure of animals, and the colors of prairie wildflowers all continue to inspire the pieces I create.
Inspired by the prarie
Horses have always been my favorite subject to draw. Some of my earliest sketches were horses, and that love only grew stronger over the years. I still remember buying my first good horse with my Uncle Roger, a Welsh-Arabian cross mare named Flicka.
While horses remain close to my heart, I have recently added cattle and prairie landscapes into my artwork as well. Wildflowers especially catch my attention. Every time I step into a pasture and see flowers blooming across the prairie, I feel inspired to create.
One of my favorite places on our ranch is a pasture with part of an old ski jump still standing nearby. Aaron and I often walk there when the prairie crocuses are blooming and pheasants and whitetail deer move through the hills. From the top, you can see for miles across the North Dakota landscape. Another place that continues to inspire me is a commons pasture in the Badlands where my family ran cattle when I was young.
From Sketches to Fine Detail
As a child, most of my drawings were cartoon characters and simple line sketches. Over the years, my artwork evolved into more detailed pencil drawings with shading, texture, and realism.
Most of my work is created during the winter months when ranch work slows down and the sunlight fills my workspace. I work full time off the ranch, so each season brings a different rhythm to daily life. Spring is spent helping during branding and calving, summer brings haying and gardening, fall focuses on moving cattle and hauling hay, and winter allows more time for creating art.
No matter the season, ranch life and creativity continue to go hand in hand.
