Where My Art Journey Began

I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember, but my real love for drawing began when I fell in love with what’s still my favorite animal — horses.

When I was little, my grandparents lived in Pennsylvania on a quiet street named Orchard, right across from a small horse and alpaca farm. One of the first times I had visited their house was when I met my first equine friend, a big chestnut Tennessee Walker with a flaxen mane and tail. I called him Big Guy, because to little me, he was massive — the biggest horse I’d ever seen.

I lived in New Jersey, so I didn’t get to visit my grandparents often, but every time I did, I was up as early as possible to see if Big Guy was outside.

My grandmother saw how much I loved horses — I remember her taking me to see every horse girl’s favorite animated movie, Spirit, in theaters. When the DVD came out, I became obsessed with the behind-the-scenes footage showing how the animators brought the main equine character to life. I’d sit with my sketchbook and try to copy every pencil stroke I saw on screen.

From then on, I drew horses every single day. I carried a sketchbook everywhere — during school, after school, any chance I got. It’s like I wanted to draw them to feel closer to them. I taught myself how to shade, how to capture light, and how to bring detail into every piece. As I grew in skill and age, I started exploring other subjects, but I always came back to what I knew best.

Fast forward to my teenage years and early twenties, when I spent what would become eight years working with racehorses — I was a true horse girl living my dream, y’all. Sadly, that intense schedule meant far less time for art. Working with horses was essentially a seven-day-a-week job with no set hours, and as a result, I ended up putting my art aside for about five years.

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