Kristen Summers

Hey there! My name is Kristen Summers & I am the artist behind Bourbon & Birdies. I am excited to share my story & my art with you.

I grew up in the suburbs of Miami. My mom is a science teacher & my dad is an animal-whisperer, so I naturally grew up caring about the environment around me & the critters that called it home. We often went on family field trips to the Florida Everglades where my parents would point out the different birds to me & the rangers would talk about things like “natural flow” & “urban development.” The concept that humans are having a significant & detrimental impact on natural environments was therefore ingrained in me a very young age.

Fast-forward a couple decades, & you’ve got a recent law school grad looking to change the world. I was optimistic & eager to one day pursue a career in environmental advocacy. At the time I was starting a new job & looking for some creative outlets to cope with the pressures of litigation. I had always been “artsy” & creative, but had never really dabbled much in watercolor. Through a fortunate series of events, in January 2015, I painted the first of my birds, a California quail. That’s when everything started to click.

I kept creating birds, honing in on the birds of my childhood, & just few months later, I launched Bourbon & Birdies. From the beginning, I wanted Bourbon & Birdies to be more than just an art business. That’s why so much of what I do is focused on educating the public & supporting environmental organizations. Since I began Bourbon & Birdies, I have been able to use a portion of my profits to contribute to organizations committed to protecting the environment and caring for wildlife. This is something that I hope to develop into real partnerships with Florida-focused organizations.