About me
Hi everyone, my name is Maura. I’m an artist and photographer with a love for hiking, the outdoors, and exploring new places. It’s fascinating to experience other cultures, foods, and beautiful landscapes. There’s always something new to see and learn about!
I currently work as a digital artist all day on a computer, and after enough time doing this I started feeling it’s negative affects on me. Even though technology can be great, we weren’t meant to be staring at computer screens all day. It greatly affects our health; bad posture from sitting so much, not getting enough exercise, repetitive stress injuries to name a few. All of this becomes even more important to be aware of as we get older too.
I wanted to start doing something different in my free time. So instead of always focusing on digital art, I decided to start working in traditional art mediums again. It had been a while, and I was only somewhat experienced in acrylics, so it’s also been a fun new learning experience for me, the start of which you can read about here: Beginning an Art Journey.
About this website
I feel in our technology based world it’s so important that we take some time to get away from it, go outside, and do something different! Whether that be planning a big trip for the year, small weekend getaways, or even just going for a hike in a neighboring park-or to a new place in your city or town. It doesn’t have to be far away, and it doesn’t have to be expensive!
“Variety is the spice of life, but monotony provides the groceries. We spend our lives trying to find a balance between these 2 ideas” – Nathan Fowkes
To make that visit even more fun and to DO something while there, why not bring a sketchbook with you? Or a camera? Making art and being creative gets other parts of our brains moving, and can help us relax from the daily stresses of our lives. You’ll be doing something completely different than your normal routine (well, unless you are a photographer/artist for a living already 🙂
I especially love being outdoors and hiking, surrounded by beautiful amazing landscapes, so this site focuses on places like that. National, State, and Local parks, but also other places I find to be neat and fun to visit as well.
Why the name Sylvan Mist?
I’ve always had a love for fantasy artwork and themes and wanted to create a brand name that would go along with that. Sylvan fit the nature lover side of me quite well, and adding a touch of magical “mist” to the name sounded good.
So why did I start this site?
Over the years I’ve accumulated hundreds, well actually, thousands of photographs from traveling here and there, and all they do is sit collecting virtual dust on my hard drive. I truly believe that if we’re given gifts and talents that we shouldn’t hide them or let them go to waste. If you have the opportunity to share something special with others or help people in some way then try and do so! So this website is my way of sharing talents I love: art, photos, stories, tips, and artwork I create with everyone, and hopefully encourage you to do the same!
Get outside and create art!
If you like my artwork and photography and want to see my latest work, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Deviant Art, or check out my Smugmug gallery (where I post ALL my photos). Also feel free to leave me a message using the contact form below!
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
–Matthew 5:14-15
Contact
Feel free to contact me using the form below. Anytime. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.