Reverence
An exhibition of new works by
Kristen Dorsey, Art from Nature
December 2–21, 2025 · Leland, NC
Welcome. Scan the QR next to each artwork to jump directly to its section.
All pieces include full details and purchase options.
Gravitas
24 x 36 Watercolor on Canvas
$2592
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $648 tax-deductible charitable donation
The critically endangered red wolf holds a quiet, commanding presence — powerful yet nearly invisible in the wilds of the Southeast. In “Gravitas,” I wanted to capture that sense of strength without aggression, the grounded self-confidence that comes from belonging fully to one’s place in the world. Painted in watercolor on canvas, this piece reflects both the rarity of the species and the dignity of its spirit — a reminder of what still survives, watching over the coastal forests we share.
This painting did not come easily. It was slow work, with only small sessions occuring each day until it was completed.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Grace
30x40 Watercolor on Canvas
$3240
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $810 tax-deductible charitable donation
“Grace” honors the wild mustangs of Arizona—thundering, dust-lit figures that move through the desert with a kind of ancient dignity. I painted this mustang in a moment of stillness, head bowed, as if listening to something deep in the earth. Soft blues and umbers shape his body, while gold leaf flickers like a desert sunset on his mane and the ground beneath. I wanted him to feel both powerful and vulnerable, a reminder that these horses live in a world both harsh and holy.
This painting is a combination of photographs by photographer Susie Bell, whose work enchants me. I could not not paint this piece.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Poise
12x36 Watercolor on Canvas
$1296
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $324 tax-deductible charitable donation
The owl is a master of stillness — a presence that both reveals and conceals. In “Poise,” I wanted to capture that effortless blend of alertness and invisibility, how she seems to melt into her surroundings while watching everything. Her feathers echo the bark and branches, her gaze unwavering yet calm. Painted in watercolor on canvas, this piece speaks to balance — the quiet confidence that comes from belonging wholly to the moment.
"Poise" started slowly, but then the gorgeous geometry of her feathers and the twists and turns of the old fence post had me "in the zone" for hours.
The reference photo for this gorgeous raptor is courtesy of Karen Jackson.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Day Is Done
24x18 Watercolor on Canvas with Gold Metal Leaf
$1296
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $324 tax-deductible charitable donation
Pelicans carry a kind of ancient calm, as if they hold the whole shoreline in their keeping. In “Day Is Done,” I painted this resting bird at the quiet edge of evening, wings gathered in, the light softening around him. The gold leaf halo rises behind his head like the last warm glow of the sun, giving the moment a sense of stillness and ceremony. It’s a gentle portrait of ending — a day closing, the water cooling, and the bird settling into the peace of the night.
The reference photo for this piece is courtesy of my friend and uber talented photographer, Meredith Wray.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
The Stretch
12x36 Watercolor on Canvas
$1296
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $324 tax-deductible charitable donation
Great blue herons are full of mating rituals, and one of the most striking is “the stretch,” a graceful part of their mating dance where they stretch to full height and click their beaks rapidly. In this piece, I wanted to capture that moment of elongated elegance — the lifted beak, the long curve of the neck, the subtle tension in the wings. There’s intention in every line of the bird’s body, a mix of courtship and instinct passed down through generations. Painted in watercolor on canvas, “The Stretch” is a portrait of wild choreography, offered against the simple backdrop of sky and branches.
I loved painting this piece, and it was done with a limited palette of just three colors — blue, burnt sienna, and yellow. I love the soft, harmonious energy a limited palette gives a painting.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Follow The Sun
18x24 Watercolor on Canvas
$1296
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $324 tax-deductible charitable donation
Daffodils have a way of turning themselves toward the light, as if listening for it. In “Follow the Sun,” I wanted to capture that bright, lifted energy — the way their white petals hold the glow of morning, and their centers burn with an almost fiery warmth. These blooms feel both delicate and determined, reaching forward even in the cool air of early spring. Painted in watercolor on canvas, this piece is a small celebration of resilience and joy, a reminder that nature is always finding its way back to the sun.
The reference photo for this piece is courtesy of my friend and uber-talented photographer, Meredith Wray.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Egrets In Plumage
16x12 Quadriptich of Watercolors on Canvas
$576 each
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $144 each tax-deductible charitable donation
This quadriptych brings together four great egrets, each captured in a different moment of display. During breeding season, these birds transform — their plumes lengthen into delicate, trailing strands, and their movements take on a quiet, ceremonial grace. Each painting in this set highlights a unique gesture: the upward reach, the subtle bow, the gentle turn, the careful preen. Together, they form a study in elegance and intention, showing how every egret carries its own rhythm within this ancient ritual. Painted in watercolor on canvas, the four pieces invite the viewer to slow down and appreciate the soft beauty of these birds at their most radiant.
This quad hangs in a pleasant square, as shown, or buy a single or pair.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Autumn Kingfisher
11x14 Watercolor on Canvas
$369
THIS PAINTING IS PRE-SOLD
Many thanks to
Randy & Ginny Kunkel for your support and patience!
Kingfishers are all energy and sharp focus, but in “Autumn Kingfisher,” I wanted to show a quieter moment — the bird settled on a branch, framed by the warm colors of fall. His crest is still wild with attitude, but there’s a softness in the light and the faded leaves around him. The contrast between his bright blues and the earthy rusts of the season is both vibrant and muted in turns. Painted in watercolor on canvas, this piece is a small pause in the busy life of a kingfisher, a reminder that even the boldest creatures have their moments of stillness.
This painting is also done in my preference of using a limited pallette--just blue, burnt sienna, and red.
Puddle Jumper
12x12 Watercolor on Canvas
$345
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $86.25 tax-deductible charitable donation
Carolina tree frogs feel and sound like pure joy — bright, quick, and full of personality. In “Puddle Jumper,” I focused on that alert, curious energy, the way they seem ready to spring into motion even when they’re perfectly still. His wide golden eye, the soft greens of his skin, and those wonderful sticky toes all capture the charm of a creature that lives between water and leaf. Painted in watercolor on canvas, this piece celebrates the small lives we often overlook, the tiny amphibians that bring so much color and movement to our Southern landscape.
I captured this little guy's image in my backyard and had so much fun letting the lime green of his colors run off the edges of the canvas.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Delicate Balance
12x16 Watercolor on Canvas
$460
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $115 tax-deductible charitable donation
Hummingbirds live entirely in moments — flashes of color, hovering breathbeats, the soft landing between wingbeats. In “Delicate Balance,” I wanted to capture that brief pause when the bird touches down on a blossom, wings still lifted, the world holding its breath around her. The bright petals, the shimmer of her feathers, and the soft, blurred background create a feeling of lightness, as if everything is suspended for just a second. Painted in watercolor on canvas, this piece is a small tribute to the beauty found in the smallest, most fleeting encounters in nature.
The reference photo for this gorgeous gal is by my friend and very generous photographer, Jim Smith. One of Jim's photos is on the silent auction table--make a bid!
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Miz Moo
12x9 Watercolor & Ink on Canvas
$260
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $65 tax-deductible charitable donation
Some faces just make you smile. “Miz Moo” is all curiosity and gentle humor — a close-up look at a cow with a personality as big as her pink-speckled nose. I loved playing with her expression, the soft whiskers, the bold patterning, and the way the light catches in her eyes. The loose watercolor background keeps the focus right where it belongs: on her sweet, slightly mischievous presence. Painted in watercolor on canvas, this piece is a reminder that reverence can be found in everyday creatures too — the ones who meet us with simple honesty and a bit of charm.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Ingrid
Great blue herons always seem caught between motion and stillness, and “Ingrid” lives right in that space. She’s alert, balanced lightly on a branch, feathers shifting just enough to show a breeze moving through. Her long frame, sharp gaze, and delicate stance give her a kind of quiet elegance — a bird fully present in her surroundings, yet somehow apart from them. Painted in watercolor, this piece is a simple moment of observation, a glimpse of the heron’s grace before she slips back into the marsh.
I enjoyed painting this gal so much that I've done her three times, including using the painting for a class I taught on painting watercolor on canvas. The painting you are looking at in the show is version #3!
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Cardinal and Berries
Cardinals bring their own light with them — a bright flash of red against the softer colors of the season. In “Cardinal and Berries,” I wanted to capture that spark of presence, the way a male cardinal seems to glow even on the quietest winter days. The loose background and soft washes let his color settle into the space naturally, while the berries offer just enough contrast to frame him. Painted in watercolor, this piece is a small moment of calm beauty, a reminder of how even the most familiar birds can feel like a gift when they appear.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
After The Rain
This iris felt like a pause between heartbeats — that quiet moment when the world exhales after a storm. I leaned into the soft violets and deep purples, letting the petals hold the weight of passing weather. “After the Rain” is about resilience, but also the tenderness that follows it: how a single bloom can gather light again, unhurried, as if nothing had ever pressed it down.
This painting is done on cotton paper mounted on a wood panel and installed in a floater frame.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Tide's Edge
8x10 Watercolor on Aquabord
$240
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $60 tax-deductible charitable donation
A coquina is easy to miss, but the shoreline is built from these small, shining lives. “Tide’s Edge” captures one held in a pocket of foam, right where the surf lingers before pulling back. The shell’s bands, the shifting bubbles, the sand beneath — it’s the quiet beauty of a moment most people step over. I painted it to honor the fragile, the temporary, and the way the ocean reveals its treasures only for a breath at a time.
I took the photo I used for this painting early in the morning at Myrtle Beach.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
The Toilette of Ajaja
16x20 Watercolor on Canvas
$960
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $240 tax-deductible charitable donation
This roseate spoonbill felt like it had caught me peeking — a flash of attitude and elegance in a single turn of its head. The title plays on the long history of “toilette” scenes in Renaissance art, moments of private preening interrupted by the viewer. Ajaja comes from the Tupi language of Brazil, an onomatopoetic name echoing the bird’s sharp call. It’s a perfect fit: bold, musical, and a little mischievous — just like the spoonbill itself.
Often, I use a limited palette of two to four colors because I feel it gives my work a more lifelike, natural feel. But spoonbills are almost larger than life, and even a bit cartoonish. There are many colors in this painting!
The reference photo for this piece is courtesy of the crazy-talented photographer, Barbara Sandidge.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Circle Of Life
18x10 Natural Object Assemblage
$350
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $87.5 tax-deductible charitable donation
This piece grew from a conversation between what’s left behind and what continues to grow. The deer skull, weathered by time and coated in powdered mica, becomes the center of a new kind of bloom — petals shaped from shells, freshwater pearls, and driftwood gathered from the Carolina coast. Each “flower” is shaped by hand, layered and arranged to echo the softness of a living blossom while honoring the raw beauty of the elements that created it. This assemblage serves as a reminder of nature’s ability to transform, to return, and to weave new stories from what remains, and was inspired by a photograph by the talented photographer Meredith Wray.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Maritime Forest Matriarch
~28x28 Natural Object Assemblage
$1525
25% to Cape Fear Critters = a $381.25 tax-deductible charitable donation
This assemblage grew from the idea of an old matriarch watching over the coastal forest. The driftwood, worn and sculpted by time, holds the forms of the animals and plants that depend on it — a small nest, shells shaped into flowers, bits of fur, quills, feathers, and seed pods. Each element is handmade or gathered from the woods and shoreline, arranged to suggest a living presence emerging from the bark. “Maritime Forest Matriarch” is a quiet tribute to the guardians of these wild places, the unseen forces that hold the ecosystem together.
A special note about the minks on her crown: these were donated by a woman who saw my work and wondered if I could use them for something more honorable than a fur coat. Yes, indeed. Thank you for rescuing them and giving them a new opportunity to be wild and free.
This piece is gently illuminated by a light string with an easily accessible battery pack.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Maritime Forest Patriarch
~24x60 Natural Object Assemblage
$1725
25% to Cape Fear Critters =
a $431.25 tax-deductible charitable donation
This tall assemblage stands like an elder at the edge of the woods, built around a long, timeworn piece of bark. I shaped his presence with gathered grasses, pheasant feathers, seed pods, shells, bones, and soft gray sheepskin fur that reads as beard and mustache. Carved palm tree pods frame his head, along with a small nest filled with hatched turtle shells. A ground mica-covered "snake" travels up his side, just above a horseshoe crab. His eyes are hand-painted glass cabochons.
“Maritime Forest Patriarch” is my way of honoring the masculine spirit of the coastal forest, steady and weathered, holding years of stories in his wooden frame.
This piece includes a remote-controlled light that is easy to access and recharges via USB.
Pay by Venmo or Credit Card via Paypal
Canvas Giclees
High-Quality Reproductions on Canvas
25% of all sales benefit Cape Fear Critters. Please email them for a charitable donation receipt
5x7 Canvas Giclee $40 each, $10 to Cape Fear Critters_______
8x8 Canvas Giclee $40 each, $10 to Cape Fear Critters_______
12x12 Canvas Giclee $80 each, $20 to Cape Fear Critters_______
11x14 Canvas Giclee $80 each, $20 to Cape Fear Critters_______
18x24 Canvas Giclee $120 each, $30 to Cape Fear Critters______
30x30 Canvas Giclee $220 each, $55 to Cape Fear Critters______
30x40 Canvas Giclee $225 each, $56 to Cape Fear Critters______
50x14 Canvas Giclee $290 each, $72.50 to Cape Fear Critters___