About the Artist

Iris McCubbins 

When I was a child I lived on a farm. I interacted with and observed all kinds of farm animals, wildlife and plants. We had a huge garden and many birds including:geese, ducks, turkeys, peacocks, chickens, quail and guineas wandering around the yard. My mother loved to garden, so her love of nature and beauty influenced me. She even pretended to be a bug or an animal talking -to keep me occupied while we did some weeding.

I had a similar love for drawing. Snatching my brother's school paper daily, I would draw all the things that I loved. I even remember drawing every detail of a ladybug on a 18"x 24" paper once.

I still love ladybugs! Painted ladybugs on rocks look really cute in the garden or in a planter.) 

As the years passed, my drawings became more intricate. I drew "Slices of Earth" for many years.They were like a geological view of a landscape cut through. You could see layers of soil, the roots of plants,  bugs and animals in their tunnels, and what was in a lake or pond. Really quite fun!

When I was in high school, I was spoiled by my Art teacher, Rod Lewison. He provided me with huge canvases and lots of paints. I spent as much time in the art room as I could. Sometimes Mr. Lewison would leave me in charge of his class. He encouraged me to display my paintings in the local stores and banks, which helped me recieve community recognition. There was another teacher who really helped me along. Bill Bush was my History teacher, and a very good artist himself. He asked me to create many historical drawings to line the walls of his classroom.

After I graduated from Royal High School with an Art Award, I went to Brigham Young University to study Fine Arts. I worked very hard to stay among the top of my class. My favorite teacher was James Christensen, who taught my Watercolors class. He is a world known Fantasy Artist www.jameschristensen.com . I had never used this medium before, and he told me I was a natural at it. This was very inspirational to me!

When I completed my time at BYU, I moved to Portland, Oregon and acquired a degree in Landscape Design and Management at PCC. For a number of years I worked at the Riverside Country Golf Club and at the Portland International Airport as a Landscape Gardener.

When I got married and became Iris McCubbins, I was very busy working and caring for our children. But I began to have a renewed interest in art. I started a home business making hand-made custom wool rugs. It was a wonderful business to have with children underfoot. I could put my work down at a moment's notice. You just can't do that when you are painting!

Finally an opportunity came for our family to move back to Royal City, Washington, where we now reside. We love living in the country, with a view of farmland and of Mt. Rainier on a clear day. On the other side of Frenchman Hills, where we live, is the Potholes Wildlife Refuge. http://www.bentler.us/eastern-washington/recreation/default.aspx  These scab lands are full of varied wildlife. We have seen cougars, bald eagles, hawks, herons, cranes, swans, geese, beaver, turtles, and so many other wonderful creatures!

I am lucky enough to be an at-home mom, and am involved with several art projects, as well as maintaining our huge 12 acre property, plus household!

I find inspiration for my artwork in the environment around me: the farms, my garden, wildlife and plants. I draw and paint mostly from quality photographs. Right now I am really enjoying painting on rocks, but I do like traditional ink drawing and painting also.

On my Home Page  is a list of topics that I paint. I am up for painting almost anything! Contact me with any questions or requests:

Iris McCubbins                

iriskmc@genext.net                      

9309 Rd E SW

Royal City, Wa. 99357

(509) 346-1782

Awarded by
The Nature Company Store