Bauer, Kaitlin: - Drawing, and especially drawing birds and animals, always feels like coming home, says Canadian wildlife artist, advocate and art educator Kaitlin Bauer. A West-coast native, she spent every summer hiking and camping, a family tradition that sparked her love of encountering animals in their natural surroundings. She recalls her desire to show their intelligence, wit and resilience in her art starting almost from the time she learnt how to hold a drawing pencil.Attending an elementary school where students had the advantage of learning First Nations cultures is where she first came to understand her own spiritual connection to the animals she was drawing. That sense of connection and love for animals has become her favourite aspect of wildlife art. Her commitment to her art increased with a move to rural Nova Scotia in 2013, where she was able to establish her studio in the home she shares with her husband and beloved dogs. Crows, foxes, owls and wolves now feature in the works it excites her to share with her students and collectors of her art.