I’ve loved puffins for years, and I’ve been lucky enough to make a couple of trips to Scotland just to see them in person. This series is my love letter to them, and each painting grew out of a different reason I can’t get enough of these birds.

The first one is my little piece of Skye. One of my favorite memories is visiting Culnacnock with my sister, where a spectacular waterfall tumbles from towering cliffs into the sea below. The landscape stayed with me long after I got home, so when I started this series, I knew I wanted to stand a puffin right there, looking proud against that backdrop. The bird and the place belong to different moments in my memory, but putting them together felt exactly right.

The second came from a “call for art” centered around color. My mind went straight to orange, not just any orange but that brilliant, unmistakable puffin orange that’s almost impossible to ignore. I moved in close and let the color take center stage. There’s something about this puffin that has always felt like an old soul to me: quiet, wise, and completely comfortable being exactly who he is.

And the third? Let’s be honest, it’s really about the feet. The second I sketched this perspective, I knew I had to paint it. His adorable little face is almost an afterthought next to those spectacular orange feet taking up half the composition. I seriously considered calling it Coming in Hot. Sometimes a painting doesn’t need a deep explanation. Sometimes it’s simply impossible not to smile.