“Badger Basin Bison” by Sarah Griggs

I am a photographer/mixed media artist currently located in Southwest Missouri. I grew up in the rolling hills of Oklahoma in Osage County. I spent my childhood taking care of animals, riding horses, hiking and exploring the hills, trails, creeks, bluffs, and abandoned railroad tracks on our family's land. I was fascinated with the history and imagined stories of the people who lived there in the not so distant past.

I was surrounded by our Cherokee and Delaware Native American heritage and the first painting that ever moved me was hanging in our local museum. I was just a small child and it was larger than life. It depicted an old Native American man pushing a plow through the dry, barren ground while dreams of a young man hunting plentiful bison in the clouds played out in the distance.

All of these things have provided me with a strong connection and passion for nature and the beauty and stories in the details that are often overlooked. Not only do I love the details in photography, but I also enjoy the hands-on craft of creating. Being a mixed media artist, I am able to combine these things to create one of a kind pieces of art.