10% of Proceeds Gets Donated to Wildlife Conservations!
About the Artist
Hey everyone! My name is Kenzie, and I have had a passion for animals since I was young. Everyday that I didn't have school, I would be watching either National Geographic, Animal Planet, or Planet Earth. I would always be looking up animal facts, drawing them (the best I could), and give little presentations about them to my family. My mind was always so full of adventure, and excitement about the unknown, and it still is. I would catch bugs in my backyard, draw them, and release them. My favorite bugs for a while were ladybugs, butterflies, and those cute little green grasshoppers.
When my neighbor friends couldn't hang out, I would just sit outside and listen to the birds, and watch the bunnies that lived under our front porch. Those little Desert Cottontails became so used to me that they would get within just a couple feet of me, and because of that, my friends would call me the 'Animal Whisperer'.
I had around 7 different field guides, with all sorts of species in them, and some guides had different facts than the others, so of course I would collect as many as I could! One of them I got from my great grandma and it was a big binder with so many cards with different species on them. That one was one of my favorites. I'd use those field guides and go on my own little adventures within my backyard and act as if I was on an expedition. I wanted to learn everything I could about the natural world around me, as city life never really intrigued me. From that early age, I had a gut feeling that there was more to life than concrete jungles.
When we went to Yellowstone for the first time, at the age of 8, I felt like I was finally able to stretch out my legs and adventure like I'd always wanted. I spotted so many of the animals that were in the same field guides I had, and my thirst for exploring was becoming satisfied.
We'd frequently visit the Denver Zoo, and the Denver Aquarium, and those were my absolute favorite places because I was able to get close to and see the exact animals that I would see on my favorite shows. It was a way for me to connect to the animals that I knew and loved on a more regular basis. As I've gotten older, I've realized that not all zoos and aquariums are good, and I've paid more attention to if they're AZA accredited.
My love and curiosity for animals, and the natural world is one of the things that has stuck with me for my entire life. It's one of the things I feel most at home with and brings me the most peace. Growing up, I was always doodling and sketching some kind of animal. My mom got me started with drawing and painting when I was 7.
During my teen years I fell away from painting, except for art class, as those were some of my darkest days. Then, in 2017 my mom and I fled to Utah, and I started to heal. I introduced painting back into my life as a way to get out what I was feeling, which is how the collection, "Travels of the Creation" came into play. I started trying to get back into touch with who I was as a child, and letting my love for wildlife show more and more. For so long during my teens, I felt like I wasn't allowed to be my true self. From then on, I've always kept painting very close to me, and deconstructed the walls I had built.
As I've grown older, I was made more aware of how much wildlife needs our help, and so I started researching conservation organizations, and the missions of each one. There are so many to donate to, and I want to help in any way I can, so the ones listed on my site are just a few, and as I find more, I'll continue to list them!
With my art, my goal is to bring the beauty of the natural world into peoples lives and homes, while also educating on the species and their vital roles in the environment that we share with them. With 10% of the proceeds from my art, I donate that back to conservation groups so they can continue with their amazing work.
Read the Yearly Reports on Foxtrot Artistry below!
Interviews ft. Foxtrot Artistry/GoghwithArt
Long Term Goals as an Artist
I've decided to add this little section, partially as a personal checklist, but also as a way for people to see the direction I want to go with my artwork! It's a way for you to get to know me a little bit more and let you know as a supporter what my hopes are for the future for Foxtrot Artistry.
Reforesting the USA
(Examples of my vision, images belong to their rightful owners)
Living in a Sustainable Home
One of the things I would like to be able to do with some of the proceeds from my artwork is buy raw/abandoned plots of land. I know raw plots can be pretty cheap since there's no utilities installed on them. This is perfect! Although if I found land for sale that had an old building on it, I would tear it down to start fresh. With the new blank slate, I would plant native plants and trees on them. Some pieces of land would have water installed on them and create a little eco friendly, sustainable, oasis so animals could seek refuge and have water during the dry months. I'm based in Utah at the moment, so that's where I would start, and then slowly branch out into other states.
In doing this, I feel like I would be helping in reforesting the portion of the world that I call home.
It would also be amazing to partner with reforestation conservation groups with this! And any fellow artists that want to partner on this are more than welcome to reach out!
When I am able to replace my day job income with my art income, I would love to be able to live on one of the mentioned plots of land above. I'd want my home to be completely sustainable; solar powered, recycled water, stuff like that. I would be essentially "off grid" and completely independent from the current utility infrastructure. I've always loved Victorian style homes or medieval English cottages, but there are other styles I love as well. This is just a small, long term goal of mine, and the above is my main focus!