Meet the Artist!

Hello! Welcome to my little artsy corner of the internet. I wanted to share a bit about me so you know who’s behind the brush! That way I'm not a stranger painting your pet, but a friend 🙂

I’ve always been an animal person, especially dogs. I’ve had dachshunds since elementary school, and right after graduating college I got my own, Tuna and Murphy. I paint them constantly. They’re my muses and honestly the reason behind almost all of my life decisions, from travel plans to choosing a house, going back to school for animal behavior, and even starting businesses.

I’m happily married to my high school sweetheart and we now live in the Seattle area after moving from Las Vegas (wow… too hot). Before that, I grew up in the Midwest (Kansas City, Missouri).

I wasn’t always an artist. I’m self-taught (thank you, YouTube!). Art school would’ve been fun, but it hasn’t been necessary for me to build a career, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to have my family’s support while pursuing this path. I actually double majored in Marine Biology and Environmental Science, but realized I didn’t love the research side of the field. What really fascinated me was animal behavior, so after graduating I pivoted to working with companion animals.

Dog training became a huge passion because it blended science and behavior with something more personal and fulfilling than lab work. I built a successful dog training business in Las Vegas, and it was there that I got back into art. I started painting portraits as gifts for my clients of their dogs.

I still remember when one of my favorite clients received his portrait and asked me very seriously, “Do you think you might have missed your calling?” I laughed at the time because I felt like "of course not." Helping pet parents was what I loved. But things change.

When my husband got an amazing job opportunity in Seattle, I made the emotional decision to close my business in Las Vegas. I tried to rebuild it here, and while I met some wonderful clients I’m still friends with today, the spark for the entrepreneurship side just wasn’t there anymore.

While I was wrestling with the idea of pivoting again (and feeling like a quitter, if I’m honest), I leaned into art as a way to cope. Slowing down made me realize how burned out I had been.

Pretty quickly, my little side hobby of selling a dog painting here and there started growing, until it was supporting me more than dog training ever had financially… and it didn’t make me cry, which felt like a good sign lol. I’d been painting commissions since 2021, but One Creative Crow officially became a legal business in 2024.