I'm Tanya

I'm inspired most by 

Nature

I create realistic watercolor paintings inspired by Nature.  To me, Nature demonstrates and highlights the harmony, order, and unlimited beauty surrounding us, and is what ultimately connects life together. 

I’m best known for my avian watercolor subjects - the birds. I find myself most intrigued to paint birds because of what they represent to me - the qualities of freedom and possibility. As I look back through the timeline of my life, it's these two qualities that have always been the common thread of what I most valued and constantly strived to live by - and remain to be today. 

A little bit of 

History

My interest in painting was cultivated as a child by watching my mother paint scenes of our farm, cattle, and equine subjects. To develop my skills, I received after school art lessons throughout grade school. 

Late teens and early twenties, I put aside art to pursue my careers in coaching figure skating and logging hours as a licensed private pilot. With long-time plans of becoming a commercial pilot and travelling the globe, my life took on a new path once I met and married my now-husband and started a family. Family life brought me to the Rocky Mountains, rivers, and lush forests, that I immediately connected with. I developed a rich appreciation for the freedom the new environment offered.

My thirties revolved around raising our daughters, expanding my personal growth, and exploring entrepreneurial journeys. All the little paths have led me to where I am now - back to the easel and sharing my work. 

This is me 

Today

I live in beautiful Alberta, Canada with my husband and our two teenage daughters. With our home flanked by the Rocky Mountains and the Athabasca River, we take every chance we get to spend time amidst the rocks, water, and trees that surround us. 

I paint in my home studio, a lovely addition on our house, that we dubbed "The Sunroom Studio". It's a unique, sun-lit space that gives me everything I need to feel comfortable, focused and fulfilled - and ready to paint, as well as produce my podcast from.

Latest project I'm  

Proud of

Although I don't consider myself a conceptual artist, my latest painting collection, the "Freedom Series", has given me an outlet to venture into new territory, where I tossed my rule book! I developed this series as a way to help evoke people to ask questions when things don't seem quite right - and therefore, my paintings needed to have an element that evoked questions themselves! Each painting was created with its own meaningful message. Check out the four Freedom Series paintings here.

This series is featured on my Podcast, Pixelated Perspectives. Click here to tune in.