Artist's Biography

Kirsten grew up surrounded by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She became fond of both wildlife and drawing at an early age, and combined her love of both subjects into stacks of animal artwork. She took art classes in high school and was even given the opportunity to exhibit one of her pieces at the Washington State Capitol Building during her senior year. As she grew older, however, her studies leaned more toward science, particularly zoology.

In 2006, she graduated from the University of San Diego with a bachelor's degree in biology. During that time, a course in vertebrate natural history introduced her to birdwatching, which quickly became a passion. After graduation, her exploits took her through education and animal care positions in zoos before she wound up in Florida. The natural areas in central Florida and the Space Coast had a huge impact on her art. She spent much of her time hiking, birding, and exploring. Many of the photos she took there have become the inspiration for art that followed. Later, she returned to the Northwest, where she attended the University of Washington's Natural Science Illustration certificate program and finished in June 2012. She enjoys sharing the world's natural wonders with others, and has taught in settings ranging from zoos and aquariums to National Wildlife Refuges to natural history museums. Currently, she is living in the Seattle area.

Outside of the studio, she enjoys hiking, birding, marathon running, and reading. Her love of nature has led her to other outdoor hobbies including geocaching and trail running.

She works with a variety of media, both traditional and digital. Traditional mediums are her first love, particularly graphite, colored pencil, pen and ink, and acrylic. She loves to experiment with different media, and is always open to learning new ones! She is also comfortable using a digital tablet and software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

In addition, she loves to share with and learn from her peers, so she is a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and American Mensa. She is also a member of the National Audubon Society, and held the role of Vice President and Social Media Director for the Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society while living in the Los Angeles area.

She uses her art to teach people about the natural world, and hopes that, through it, more people will appreciate and understand the planet on which we live.