Growing up as a child in the woods of northern Baltimore County, MD, I spent my early life exploring the extraordinary bounty of its natural environment. Way back in the early years of childhood this area teemed with wildlife and open spaces that went on forever, real and imagined. In my mind Faeries and ruined castles perched alongside ancient White Oak trees which were inhabited by families of flying squirrels, woodpeckers and summering robins. I enjoyed every opportunity of examining even the tiniest insects on the forest floor, fascinated by their movements, making them participants in my daily storytelling adventures.
I have enjoyed being a voyeur to the lives of our four legged and winged neighbors all of my life. I began drawing any and all animals by the age of 3, sometimes concentrating so hard on getting the lines and colors just right that my crayon ran off the paper and onto the floor, wall, table or clothes... I couldn't stop until I captured the spirit of these independent, beautiful creatures. (My mother, bless her heart, gifted me with a big roll of butcher paper which she let me roll onto the floor to spend hours upon happy hours drawing away). I easily tended to relate to fur and feathers so much more than to the majority of people I'd known throughout my early years.
These days I still take to the woods and meadows, searching the grounds and treetops for visiting warblers, hawks, toads and especially mushrooms. I love to hear the foxes call to each other with sharp barks and watch the mamma White Tailed does instruct their young in the generational art of survival.
For almost 30 years I've lived on the old family farm, in a house built in the 1740's of chestnut logs and stone. My brothers and I are the 7th generation of the original family member who built it, Scottish Capt. James Calder. I raised my daughter Julianna here, encouraging her to enjoy and respect this incredible gift given to us by generations before. My lifemate, Jim (www.jameswvoshell.com), and I are both full time artists who are inspired each day, year round, by our residents and visitors who flock to our feeding station in the front yard: deer, opossums, raccoons, an occasional bobcat, squirrels, shrews, snakes, all manner of birds, bats and insects, not to mention the view of the constantly changing clouds, stars and sky. If only we had enough time to interpret and record all of these muses!
I have enjoyed being a voyeur to the lives of our four legged and winged neighbors all of my life. I began drawing any and all animals by the age of 3, sometimes concentrating so hard on getting the lines and colors just right that my crayon ran off the paper and onto the floor, wall, table or clothes... I couldn't stop until I captured the spirit of these independent, beautiful creatures. (My mother, bless her heart, gifted me with a big roll of butcher paper which she let me roll onto the floor to spend hours upon happy hours drawing away). I easily tended to relate to fur and feathers so much more than to the majority of people I'd known throughout my early years.
These days I still take to the woods and meadows, searching the grounds and treetops for visiting warblers, hawks, toads and especially mushrooms. I love to hear the foxes call to each other with sharp barks and watch the mamma White Tailed does instruct their young in the generational art of survival.
For almost 30 years I've lived on the old family farm, in a house built in the 1740's of chestnut logs and stone. My brothers and I are the 7th generation of the original family member who built it, Scottish Capt. James Calder. I raised my daughter Julianna here, encouraging her to enjoy and respect this incredible gift given to us by generations before. My lifemate, Jim (www.jameswvoshell.com), and I are both full time artists who are inspired each day, year round, by our residents and visitors who flock to our feeding station in the front yard: deer, opossums, raccoons, an occasional bobcat, squirrels, shrews, snakes, all manner of birds, bats and insects, not to mention the view of the constantly changing clouds, stars and sky. If only we had enough time to interpret and record all of these muses!
Once an artist, always an artist! Here are a couple 1960's Polaroid shots of my brother Bobby and I having a 'paint-a-thon' of sorts. Our mother and her father were both artistically inclined so we must have inherited those same genes!
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Here I am about 9 yrs old as an artiste on Halloween. (The beret was holding the cowlick under my bangs down, working double duty! Thanks for the photo Ann!)
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FYI concerning any artwork that's noted as already framed:
I've been a museum conservation standard framer since I opened my first shop/gallery in Towson in 1978. All my artwork is framed by me using high quality materials and methods in order to protect the art for many years into the future.
I've been a museum conservation standard framer since I opened my first shop/gallery in Towson in 1978. All my artwork is framed by me using high quality materials and methods in order to protect the art for many years into the future.
