It all started back in 2018 with a brief visit to the dollar store during the summer. I found myself in the garden section with an array of adorable bird feeders so I grabbed the cutest feeder along with a bag of bird seed and oh my goodness, I was in for the biggest surprise! Our bedroom has a gorgeous view of a tree right in front of our home which is where I ended up hanging the bird feeder. Our view of the tree soon became a beautiful & personal wildlife bird sanctuary. I would see these gorgeous birds fly over to the feeder and I wanted to learn more about these local visitors so I downloaded the free Merlin Bird ID app to help me identify the types of feathered friends that were coming to the feeder. I purchased a camera so I could begin capturing photos and referencing what bird I would see during which season and then soon deemed myself a ‘birder’ as I began to venture on free birding tours in and around Asheville through the Blue Ridge Audubon Society.
I was blown away by each bird’s colors, songs, and personality! I quickly realized that the squirrels wanted in on the feeder so I invested in a squirrel picnic bar that was attached to the tree in front of our home. My fiance and I found ourselves laughing hysterically while capturing videos and photos of the squirrels enjoying their cuteness and wild antics! One day, the cutest squirrel came to the windowsill to kindly request a refill at the squirrel picnic feeder lounge. My fiance was able to capture the most precious photo of the squirrel and that inspired me to paint this adorable critter on a mini canvas which is now my business logo and is also one of the most adored art prints in my wildlife critter art print collection!
Ray Vincent / Asheville, NC
On my hikes and strolls around the neighborhood I got to have more beautiful encounters with wildlife such as groundhogs, opossums, turtles, toads, black bears and raccoons! I would reference photos I would capture on my camera or phone and begin painting each adorable critter. I now have an adorable collection of critter prints where I feel I capture their wonderful essence and personality! I feel that each critter is a little ray of light and serves a special purpose on this earth and that’s where I got the inspiration to name my business, Little Ray of Light Design, LLC. My time in nature always blows me away and that’s where I find my inspiration to paint whimsical wildlife art.
ART 4 AID sales are split 80% to the artist and 20% to Grassroots AID Partnership. Learn more about GAP and how they continue to provide positive impact and support throughout Western North Carolina following the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene