I am an intuitive painter and digital illustrator with a background in marketing based in Slidell, Louisiana. Although I’ve moved around the state a few times, I was born and raised here among the hundred-year-old oak trees and swamps that now inspire my creative work. Since I was quite young, painting has been my preferred medium. I painted very sporadically up until 2020 when my life drastically shifted. After gaining much more free time, I fully immersed myself in painting — alas, Swamp Sprouts, my artist alias, was born. After four years of expansion, I still paint, but I also dabble in digital illustration, which allows me to create from anywhere, such as a tiny Getaway house in the woods.
Nature has the power to absorb troubles and bring people back down to earth — every time I get swept away by modern society, I return to nature and feel right at home. I’ve been very sensitive to nature’s power since I was a young child, often stooping down and petting frogs, “feeling” the trees or asking dragonflies questions to decompress. I still do this today. My art is simply an outlet for expressing my own experiences with the natural world. In my practice, I always let my next muse choose me, and I allow my work to unfold in its own time, just as nature does.
My Getaway was far too short (I could live there!!) but incredibly sweet. My partner and my pup tagged along and kept me company while I flirted with nature. Amidst thousands of trees, expansive brush, and so much green, this verdant woman came to my mind. I knew she had to be shared with the world — a reminder to sit with nature, absorb it, and become it as often as possible.
It got pretty warm midday, so we hung out inside and looked through Getting Away. Jon’s outlook on this world and his journey through it is really admirable and relatable. It gives me hope that by staying true to my creative path, with the best interest of the world in mind, I, too, can find peace, balance, and unlimited time to unplug.