Donna L. Byers, owner of The Bigger Picture Studio & Galleria, is a 60 year old, self-employed, self-taught artist, living in the sunny Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Living in Osoyoos, she is surrounded by nature at every turn. The breathtaking mountain and desert views, the abundant wildlife and the warm weather are a great source of inspiration and encouragement for her. Having spent her childhood in the Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario, Canada, Donna was captivated by the beauty of nature all around her and began painting at a very young age. Donna spent 35 years raising a family, building several businesses and tending to the many needs of others before finally returning to her easel in 2015. Donna’s work is detail-oriented, strongly influenced by her fascination with the fine details of things, like the subtle color changes in a rock formation or the intricate veining in a simple leaf. Donna also loves the beautiful designs and patterns found in European architecture and ancient ruins. Her favorite artists are Monet, Da Vinci and Salvador Dali. Although Donna’s subject matter varies greatly, her use of vivid colors and her linear style have resulted in the creation of several award-winning works of art, many of which are currently held in private collections. Donna’s work has been featured through Light Space & Time Gallery, Artsy, Colors of Humanity Gallery and The International Gallery of The Arts among others. Although Donna is still working several days per week, she spends most of her off time painting and creating. While partial to oil paints, Donna occasionally works with acrylics or watercolors, and loves to experiment with new methods and mediums to challenge her abilities and refine her skills.

If you are interested in seeing more of Donna’s work, please visit her website.  Visit the 4th Annual Animal Kingdom Art Exhibition here.

Nicole Wilde was born in Brooklyn, New York, but she always felt California’s siren call of freedom and creativity. In 1987 she moved to Los Angeles. From an early age Nicole had written poetry and short stories, followed by song lyrics, which were put to music for bands in which she played bass guitar. And yet, she still longed for a way to express her creativity in a visual form. Possessing a “good eye” but lacking a good camera, she purchased her first DSLR in 2012 and began a driving, all-encompassing attempt at learning photography through books, online videos, and workshops. She expanded her knowledge of Photoshop in the same way and eventually combined the two disciplines, thereby finally finding her creative outlet in digital art. Nicole’s other lifelong passion has been animals, particularly dogs and wolves. She co-ran a rescue sanctuary for wolves, and three of the residents ended up living with her for ten years. She became a professional dog trainer, wrote eleven books on dog behavior, and taught seminars worldwide. It was inevitable that her love of animals would find its way into her digital art. Nicole’s images begin with one or more of her photographs taken in nature, zoos, or sanctuaries, and are then transformed through equal parts Photoshop and imagination. Whether focusing on the emotional life of animals or our connection to each other or the Universe, her work centers around the unseen magic that surrounds us all. Nicole’s work has been featured in magazines, in art galleries, and online. Nicole and her husband live in southern California with their two rescued northern breed dogs and boatloads of dog hair.

Please visit Nicole’s website if you are interested in seeing more of her work. Visit the 4th Annual Animal Kingdom Art Exhibition here.