As the sun rises this morning over freshly fallen snow, I’m sitting in my art room, getting ready to head out for a couple of cleaning gigs. I’m deeply grateful for that work. It keeps my art and writing 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆 — not pressed under deadlines, pet portrait lists, or projects that start to feel more like obligations than joy.
A few hours of cleaning each week gives me financial breathing room, but it also offers something more meaningful: the chance to help improve someone else’s home life. We watch kids grow up. We play with the pets 🐾. We see people age and get sick. You take a lot away from being invited into someone’s home like that. It hits different than most “jobs” — in a really good way.
2025 was, in many ways, a remarkable year. National recognition through the Federal Duck Stamp Program — including a signed Cache from the Secretary of the Interior — was incredibly humbling. Being featured in the National Duck Stamp Collector’s Society newsletter felt like a perfect end-cap. Joining the Delta Waterfowl Magazine team as an editorial illustrator was huge 🦆 — and shortly after, being honored with my first full feature there, combining both my writing and artwork, was something I’ll never take for granted. Knowing that piece is distributed throughout both the U.S. 𝒂𝒏𝒅 Canada still feels surreal.
Add to that my second cover for PA Angler & Boater, my first cover illustration for Delta, the renewal of my “Casts & Reflections” journal series for a third year, and appearances in PA Wildlife Magazine and PA Outdoor News — wow. These are opportunities I hold with a great deal of respect. At 41, it truly feels like I’m settling into the reputation I’ve worked toward for a long time.
And now, in the quiet cold of winter, a new beginning ❄️. One hand resting on what I’ve accomplished, the other sorting through what’s ahead. More on those goals soon 😉
✨ 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆. ✨
💪 𝑪𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒔. Let’s do this.