"John Deere" Artwork

I grew up in the Hill Country of Texas. My grandparents lived on a working ranch with cattle, horses, deer, antelope, turkey, etc. I moved out there in my teens. It was and still is my happy place to just be. I must interject here that I really really like dogs...and rocks. I just don't function too well without my dogs and pile of rocks, just so you know. If someone walks by with a dog, I will likely greet the dog first. I can't help it. The animals and plants, earth and sky above, balance me out.
I was always an artist. It is a part of me, but some things in life provide large enough obstacles that you falter in who you are and some of your purpose.
I use my art not to mimic what I see, but as a handmade token. My art is my imperfect gift to thank and honor the things that sustain me. I see a cactus or an insect and I am just so grateful for their existence. I want to create these things too in my own way and vision. My work is also an exploration of human emotion and behavior and how it relates to the world around us.
Learning my own psychology and that of others has always interested me, so I find it seeping into my art through color and symbolism.
Experimentation is also extremely important to me. I want to try new materials, techniques, styles as I embrace the failures of that. I relish in imperfection and asymmetry.
I'm currently tied to using a handmade clay and painting with that first and then with actual paint. I feel aligned when I am using my hands to sculpt, plus I am drawn to texture.
My being and life is a hot mess of chaos and growth and loss and love and wonder and realization. Art is often a reflection of life, these are my mirrors.