K J Keane

For as long as I can remember, I loved making art and taking walks in the woods. These are the activities to which I return whenever I am in need of a mental reset. My spirit is lightened as I take in the cool, fresh air and I feel grounded as I find my way across the uneven earth. This is where I feel most at home. The seeds of my art appreciation were planted during my childhood as I watched my mother make art and my love of nature sprang from our family time spent watching nature programs on TV and taking long walks in Pennsylvania’s woods and meadows. One particularly memorable family adventure was a road trip to Montana during which we saw many spectacular landscapes—the open sky and plains of Iowa, the otherworldly Badlands of South Dakota, and the dramatic the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. These territories introduced me to exotic wildlife…prairie dogs, bison, elk, and antelope just to name a few. These are so different from what I knew in PA. After I returned home, I sought out books about these places and learned that each region had a delicate balance between the flora and fauna that was crucial to sustaining that local ecosystem. I also learned that humans had a direct impact on the natural world. I went on to study art studio to educate myself on the techniques of artistic expression and later art history to study the impact of these artistic forms on society throughout history. After my education, I became a parent and my point of view shifted to that of a child in awe of her surroundings. Now experiencing the world through her eyes, I see things with the wonder of a child… what a beautiful gift she has given me! As I look at our beautiful world and my young daughter, I am reminded of the importance that art and nature had in my youth and want to foster that appreciation in her. Daily, I create art for her, often sketching the wildlife in our backyard. I added rhymes to further stimulate her imagination and narrate story of the natural world and its ecosystems. These books are a gift to my daughter … enjoy!