Where it started...
Where did my journey as an artist start? Well, honestly, that’s a tricky question. I’ve loved art since I was little. I grew up in a crafty, entrepreneurial family where we were always encouraged to play with paints, draw cards and pictures, and think creatively. I think I’ve always known I wanted to be an artist, but I didn’t know if I was going to make it my actual career until I was about 12–13. That’s when I finally decided I wanted to take it further than just doodles in my sketchbook or the occasional watercolor painting for family.
My parents supported me unconditionally, helping me with everything from setting up my Etsy shop in the beginning to landing big illustrating jobs. My mom even helped me edit my debut novel, The Fernshade Chronicles: Fernhaven Rising (published February 2026).
In 2023, I started my Etsy shop, Flora & Designs, began listing, and got my first few sales. I also took an art class by fellow artist Mariah Brancheau, who taught me about my love for acrylic paints and florals. From what I learned from her, I let my creativity blossom and developed my own style with flora and animals.
In 2024, things really began to pick up when I displayed a painting during the Young Artist Exhibit in April and later that summer participated in my first art gallery exhibit for Art In The Loft’s Summerview showing, which ran from April to August. I was the youngest artist there. That exhibit brought me so many blessings and fueled me to start selling at several local locations in my town, help paint a mural with fellow artist Sydney Compeau, and achieve even more in 2025.
I taught my first two classes in 2025, continued as an exhibiting artist at Art In The Loft, self-published my coloring book Fantasies & Fairytales: A Magical Coloring Book, and sold art at a local art fair, Harmony Weekend. Throughout the year, I also worked on my book Fernhaven Rising—both the illustrations and the manuscript. I completed seven custom commission paintings for a customer on my Etsy shop as well along with creating various custom commissions and selling at local shops...
How it's going...
Beginning of 2026, I published my debut novel, The Fernshade Chronicles: Fernhaven Rising. It has been several years in the making and It's been such a dream to finally see achieved. Not only has it been one of my proudest accomplishments, but it's also been a huge blessing in my life and has brought me so many opportunities to bless people through my book and my writing.
I've begun teaching regular classes locally in my hometown and in the surrounding towns. I'm now doing monthly watercolor classes at my library on subjects ranging from floral bouquets and butterflies to watercolor landscapes with foxes. I've also taught several wildly successful artist trading card classes at the Art In The Loft for kids and plan on doing more classes there soon.
(If you're interested in taking a class taught by me, subscribe to my newsletter! I give updates about all my classes and their dates there.)
Honestly, every day I'm always working on something. From doodling concept art in my sketchbook, jotting down a new book idea in my notes app or working on my website, to setting up for art galleries, working on custom commissions, creating storybooks for clients and more. I'm always working on my next big thing and if I were to try to list it all, well, you'd get bored pretty fast ;)
If you want to keep up to date with these things though, you can subscribe to my newsletter, or follow me on social media! I go by "Flora And Fox Designs" on both Facebook and Instagram.
