My first art sale was in 1990, when I was five years old: a local retirement community bought one of my drawings for their brochures. I was ecstatic. My parents made sure I split the $50 I received; half went to my class for a pizza party, half to whatever I chose. I spent the windfall on plastic figurines of wild animals.

As a neurodivergent kid, I spent long hours obsessing over nature field guides and learning to draw by mimicking the illustrations of birds, amphibians, butterflies, and more. When I got hold of a Pentax SLR (film!) camera at age 13, my passion grew to include photographing the Atlantic coast and small city scenes. Saturday classes at Maine College of Art (now MECA&D) helped me hone my vision and learn to develop images for print. I took every art class available to me, often forgoing lunch to spend time in the art room, immersed in my work.

I started freelancing when I was 18. This included writing business profiles and a cook-of-the-week column for the second largest newspaper in Maine, for which I provided the photographs as well as copy. Throughout my various careers since—coffee slinger, bread baker, pastry chef, middle and high school teacher—I kept up my art practice.

Now in my 40s, I continue to work in multiple mediums—photography, soft pastel, Nupastel, charcoal, acrylic—often developing several pieces at once. My work is driven by connection to and wonder at the natural world, a body-felt sense of colour and balance, and a reverence for play. Pieces of mine are held in private collections across North America, and my work has appeared in multiple publications, including as cover art for the transdisciplinary journal Art/Research International. I hold an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a PhD in Educational Studies, with a focus on inclusive education and arts-based research, from University of Prince Edward Island.

-Kate Bucca