How every DOG IN THE KITCHEN story comes to life

Every story has a beginning…Some begin with a winding road down the Oregon Coast ….Others with a bustling market halfway around the world. Sometimes it’s a favorite family recipe… and often times its the dog who wanders beside me or into my imagination and captures my heart.

Long before an illustration appears on a recipe card or a destination scene finds its place on the blog, it begins as a memory, a photograph, a sketch, or a quiet moment that stayed with me long after the journey ended.

The artwork you see throughout Dog in the Kitchen is created using a wide variety of artistic tools, each chosen to help tell that story in the best possible way.

About My Original Story Illustrations

My original illustrations of the dogs, characters, scenes,you find at DOG IN THE KITCHEN, begin with my own concepts, artistic vision, and a vivid imagination that’s always searching just beyond the next bend in the road.

Depending on the destination, story, or emotion I hope to capture, I combine hand drawing, watercolor painting, photography, digital illustration, and other creative techniques to build each scene one thoughtful layer at a time.

For me, creating art is much like traveling or cooking, for that matter. It begins with curiosity, follows unexpected paths, and often ends somewhere even more beautiful than I first imagined. I believe the most memorable art doesn’t simply recreate a moment—it preserves a sense of place, inviting us to remember not only what we saw, but how it felt to be there.

Every piece is lovingly created and refined until it reflects the personality, emotion, and story I hope you’ll experience when you see it.

Enter the Destination Scenes

The scenic food and travel images have become one of my favorite ways to bring each recipe story to life, inviting you to step into the journey before you ever take the first bite. Inspired by our travels and favorite foods we have enjoyed, with a little imagination, filling the spaces in between. I think of them as treasured snapshots – drawn from roads I’ve traveled, places that never really left me, and roads I have yet to wander.

They’re designed to capture the feeling of standing there as we soak up the light, the atmosphere, the local flavors, and that true ‘sense of place’ that make every journey or meal unforgettable.