By Sara Tucker

Born in Montana and raised in Colorado, she has been sketching, painting and performing since childhood, allowing her the opportunity to earn accolades, awards and scholarships as a young artist. As an adult, she pursued a career in animal law enforcement, becoming a State Agent with Colorado's Bureau of Animal Protection. She served as a voice for the voiceless, helping both people and animals in her community, and was featured as a lead officer on the Nat Geo Wild/Disney+ show, Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue. She was blessed with two beautiful daughters, and is currently a stay-at-home mother thanks to the encouragement and support of her husband. This has allowed her to reignite her passion for art, which serves as mindful meditation and bonding with her girls.

Sara's fluid paintings, featured in many local galleries, are inspired by surrounding landscapes and showcase the energy and beauty of the world around us. Her garden butterfly "Among The Trees" is inspired by the local landscapes we are lucky enough to be surrounded by here in Colorado. The colors chosen for this butterfly represent the color palette you may find on the forest floor when you escape into nature. Deep rich greens that seem to light up from within when the sun hits them, shimmering light seeping through thick branches, and bold shadows from the layers of rocks and leaves that cover the earth as we explore the mountains that define our region.

She grew up in District 11 schools. Her daughters will also be following in her footsteps at D11. Being an avid artist and musician, she understands how important it is, and how difficult it can be, to find adequate funding for arts and sciences within the school system. For years she has noticed the beautiful butterflies popping up around our city, but until recently had no idea what they represented.

It wasn't until she was doing live painting at Platte Collections Gallery during her exhibit there as a featured artist, that she had the opportunity to become acquainted with the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs and Wings of Change as members explored the gallery for the First Friday Art Walk and encouraged her to participate . "This is a wonderful chance for me to continue to support the community I live in, the arts that I love, and the chance for other students to have the same access to the amazing programs I was lucky enough to be a part of as a D11 student."