We had the good fortune of connecting with Agnieszka (Aga) Elliott and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Agnieszka (Aga), how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My balance changed with having children. To be quite honest there is no real balance – my family comes first and I fit in what work I can. I believe that balance is what you make it and every day is a new adventure.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I am a nationally and internationally recognized wildlife artist. Self-educated, born in Poland and now a Colorado resident, I draw inspiration from artists like Robert Bateman and Carl Brenders, who not only are naturalists, but who successfully capture wildlife, and their natural environments, through realism.

I believe that wildlife art has the potential to inspire viewers to conversation and education, inevitably leading to increased awareness of our planet’s natural heritage. Working exclusively in oils, I aim to portray animals in their moments of beauty. My goal is to capture their delight of simply being and the essence of their movement, emotion, passion, vulnerability, and majesty. I present my subjects with the purity of spirit that comes from pure existence in the moment of their capture, and every one of my pieces has a story that is emotive and emotional.

A few of my proudest moments include being recognized by Artists for Conservation in their 2022 live exhibit and by David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year in 2021. Perhaps my proudest moment has been my contribution of an auctioned painting supporting the reintroduction of grey wolves to Colorado.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Camping in Rocky Mountain National Park for a week, and spending time drinking red wine and eating great food around a campfire, surrounded by beautiful Colorado wildlife and scenery.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My choice of the career would not be possible without the full support of my family – so shout out to them!

Website: https://www.papillonfineart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/papillonfineart/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papillonfineart

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.