Kimberly Beck grew up in Northern California in a bucolic, rural setting where Loggerhead Shrike and Western Meadowlarks kept me company on the walk home from school. Red-Tailed Hawks, Kestrels and Kites, Anna’s Hummingbirds and Burrowing Owls were abundant on my family’s ranch. Instead of an alarm clock, she woke in the early mornings to a chorus of birdsong. After college, she became fascinated with learning to draw and paint and set to work depicting the birds and animals she knew. Kimberly studied anatomy, drawing and illustration at the California College of Arts and Crafts, which prepared me to work as a nature illustrator. Years later, she painted figuratively and changed my medium to oil while studying at the historic Palette & Chisel Academy of Art in Chicago. She eventually returned to painting the natural world, especially birds and their habitats because they fascinate me. Today, she spends hours each week outdoors observing birds and wildlife, taking photos, making sketches, and recording color information for reference in the studio. Concepts for her paintings emerge from these personal experiences in nature. Kimberly is personally renewed daily by her experiences in nature. "I hope you can feel my passion for the beautiful creatures with whom we share our world and that you are inspired to do what you can to protect their habitats and ensure their presence for generations to come."