My Story

Animals, both domestic and wild, have always captured my heart and my imagination. From my very first memories I have always been drawn to animals. All animals. The ones we had around the house when I was growing up in Ecuador - a bird, cats, and dogs, and any animals I found in our backyard, where I spent a good portion of my time exploring. That initial love and connection for the animal world carried over into my education, as I studied to be a wildlife biologist, which took me to many amazing places with unique and magnificent wildlife: Panama, Costa Rica, Argentina, and the Galápagos Islands, among others. I have had a great career so far, and continue to do what I can to help wildlife. Currently, I work at the University of California, Davis, for the Oiled Wildlife Care Network. Our job is to help care for wildlife that are impacted by oil spills. This is my full time job, but early in the morning and on weekends I spend much of my time working on building my art skills and doing portrait commissions.

I have always been an acute observer and have studied the way animals look, move, and interact with other animals and humans as well as the nature around them. Since I was a little girl I have always been keenly attracted to the tiniest details - the way light bounces off the fur of a wet sea lion, the beautiful and intricate weaving of a single bird feather, the different hues and colors found in a cat’s eye.

During the COVID pandemic I decided to try my hand at watercolor. Even though I loved my creations, I discovered that watercolor did not allow me to get as much detail and realism as I wanted to. It was then that I discovered that colored pencils offered a mechanism for capturing even the finest of details - whether it is soft fur, long whiskers, or shadows. With each animal portrait I learn so much - from different techniques depending on the paper I am working on, to the use of color to create an image that has great likeness to an animal. I have used this attention to detail and observation skills (both innate and trained) to create detailed and realistic drawings of animals.

Meet the Team

Each of the team members of Kyra's Fine Art has an important role to play. Scroll below to read about each of them.

Master Taster

Tessa

Adopted along with Mantis in December 2018, Tessa's role is to sacrifice herself for the good of all the other team members. She does this by tasting everyone's food to ensure it is not poisoned. Even after confirming this, sometimes it is necessary for Tessa to take a few more tastes just to make absolutely sure.

Staff

Henrietta

Henrietta, a Ball Python rescued several years ago, serves as a staff member of the team. It is still a bit unclear what her role is, but that doesn't stop her from consuming frozen mice every few weeks and enjoying leisurely baths at times.

Meal Police

Skippyjon Jones ("Skippy")

Skippy's job is to make sure that all other cats and dog maintain a safe distance from our food when we need to get up for a glass of water or to grab the salt.

Senior Manager

Mantis

As Senior Manager, Mantis plays a critical role in ensuring everything is up to snuff. If it's not, she will certainly let you know about it. At first glance one might think of Mantis as "shy", which is her master plan, as it allows her to slip under the radar and continue her inspecting from various vantage points around the house.

Chief of Security

Bad Eye Bob ("Bob")

Bob has been with the team for a few years and has settled into his role nicely. His main role is to patrol the grounds on a regular basis. He keeps a sharp eye out (he only has one good eye) for anything that might be amiss. Mostly keeping to himself, he also reminds us that no task is too difficult to overcome if you have patience and passion.

Head Lap Warmer/Lunch Bell Ringer

Luna

Luna is the newest member of the team. Found as an 8 week old on a full moon night the night before Halloween. She is now Head of Lap Warming and excels at her job. She is also tasked with reminding us when it is time to get up and feed her.

Nature Break/Meal Break Reminder Specialist

Cash

Cash has been with the team for almost 9 years. Originally from Montana, Cash devotes his time to ensuring that we are taking regular breaks to go for walks and chase things. Cash also serves a critical role in keeping track of time, reminding us when it is 5pm and time for dinner (his..he doesn't care about ours!).

Product Manager

Darwin

Darwin joined the team during the pandemic. He quickly established himself as the "goofball", ensuring that no one takes themselves too seriously. As Product Manager, his role is to look at all the portraits with a critical eye.