I initially started in the bookmaking world, where I was involved in the industry for several years. However, I realized down the line that I wanted to expand my artistic passions into other ventures. All my life, I have had a love of cats and their beauty. They had always inspired me in all of my various artistic disciplines. When I finally decided that it was time for me to pursue painting, the subjects of my work were therefore an easy and obvious choice. Since then, I have been drawing and painting cats in various forms, often integrating these images with nature-inspired insignias. Bookmaking still impacts my work, as I have been involved in that world for far longer than I have been painting. The knowledge I’ve gained in binding manuscripts and designing covers has proved useful, as the craft continues to inspire the images that I continue to draw and paint to this day.
These pieces portray each month’s birthstone as a heart-shaped gem, intertwined with their associated plant motifs and fairy cats. I will continue to create all twelve months’ worth of birthstones.