Subtle Spirits Original Release ‘A Collection of Rare Birds’ consists of 8 single-barrel bourbons aged 16 years and 2 months. Each barrel is named after the bird commemorated by the feather on the label – Mallard, Quail, Starling, Hummingbird, Kingfisher, Cardinal, Macaw, and Turkey. The eight feathers commissioned exclusively for Subtle Spirits are now part of Shayna Larsen's 500 Feathers Project. We enjoyed getting to know Shayna through our collab and wanted to give you deeper look into her art, process, and life in Colorado. Enjoy!

The original Quail feather that adorns the TK-102 barrel.

What first drew you to art, and when did you realize you wanted to pursue it seriously?

I grew up with three older brothers, so when life felt chaotic, I spent a lot of time outside, finding peace in nature, building forts with sticks, and forming a deep connection with animals. My mom — who was also my high school art teacher — loved to decorate and landscape. Instead of using mulch, she filled the path to our home with small rocks, and I have such a vivid memory of spending hours finding the ones that sparkled or were a different color.

That curiosity for beauty and detail led me to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, though I had never really painted before — not seriously, anyway. After college, I built a career as a web designer, where creativity met structure, and eventually met my husband through that work. When our two kids came along, I stepped away from design to be home with them, and one day I picked up their watercolor supplies just to play. That small, spontaneous moment completely changed the direction of my life.

What began as a creative outlet soon became something much deeper. Painting opened up the same sense of wonder I’d felt as a child exploring outside — that quiet, connected space where nature speaks if you slow down enough to listen. Today, I paint wildlife and feathers using accents of handmade earth pigments created from crushed rocks I collect on my hikes. It’s truly come full circle.

Tell us more about your 500 Feathers Project.

The 500 Feathers Project started completely on a whim. I was preparing for my second Open Studios event here in Boulder, where hundreds of people come through my home gallery over two weekends. A big part of the event is sharing our process, and I had just started making my own paint from local rocks I collect on hikes.

I thought people would relate to that — because everyone in Boulder has tripped on a rock or stubbed a toe on a trail! I had my setup ready but realized something was missing. People could see the pigments, but my paintings that incorporated these earth paints had sold. I felt like the public would want to see how they looked in a painting. That morning, a friend suggested, “Just paint a feather with your rock paint.”

I laugh thinking back — I had the whole thing laid out like a 6th-grade science fair project, labels and all. During the event, people loved it. Someone asked to buy the demo feather, so I said yes and painted another for the next day, which also sold. By the second weekend, people were asking to buy feathers straight out of my sketchbook. Crazy unexpected!

Soon after, I took a few to a local craft fair, mounted on wood panels like my larger works, and they sold out before the show even started. My husband said, “You should paint 500 — it’s a good alliteration.” Without much thought, I said yes, and here I am, 360 feathers later.

How did the Subtle Spirits Collab fit into your 500 Feathers.

My 500 Feathers Project has been such a lighthearted creative adventure. Lighthearted in the sense that I’m always playing and pushing the limits of new shapes and colors within a single subject — feathers. Painting in large numbers, like 500, is something totally new for me, and it’s taught me so much about trusting my instincts and letting my brush stay loose in my hand.

The deeper I’ve gotten into this multi-year project, the more meaning has revealed itself. Each bird and feather holds rich symbolism — freedom, protection, messages, and transformation — and I’ve come to see how universal those themes are.

When Subtle Spirits reached out, the timing was perfect. The project had started to take off in the world, and this collaboration invited me to see my feathers in a new, elevated light. As I painted each feather, I researched the bird, reflected on its symbolism, and imagined how it would look wrapped around a beautiful bottle. I wanted to keep the same loose, painterly energy, but I also found myself giving each one a more precision and care like I do with my large works. It was a really special turning point in the series.

I’d love to hear more about your process for creating art. Is there anything different for the Feathers pieces since they are rather small compared to your larger-scale pieces?

Since I started painting in 2017, I’ve always felt like there was something magical about watercolor. I now realize it has nothing to do with the tube of paint and everything to do with the water.

Water is the one element that connects us all. It’s in every living thing on Earth — we’re essentially eight billion walking oceans. Each human cell is mostly water, and the minerals in our blood are nearly identical to those in seawater. The same water that once moved through clouds, rivers, and ancient seas now moves through us. Hell, it’s even in this bottle of whiskey!

So for me, the process is about collaborating with that living element — letting it move, flow, and express its own intelligence on the page.

When Subtle Spirits approached me to paint feathers for their labels, it was the first time I treated my “whimsical” feathers with the same attention to detail as my large animal portraits. It turned out to be a wonderful turning point in my series — one that helped me see how these small, playful studies could hold the same depth, emotion, and story as my larger works.

The Feathers series has always been about capturing that fleeting dance between spirit and form — light, color, and air all suspended in a single brushstroke.

What helps you stay creative?

Meditation and hiking are huge parts of my creative process. Ironically, my 500 Feathers Project has also become one of the biggest ways I keep momentum going.

With watercolor, there’s no erasing or covering up. When you lay paint down, it’s there — so when I’m in the middle of a large 3x4-foot bear painting, I have to have a clear vision, inspiration, and enough uninterrupted time to follow through. But life happens, and raising a family will always come first.

Painting feathers gave me a way to pick up my brush more often — it kept things whimsical and lighthearted. If I “messed up,” it was no big deal. The feathers became my best teachers, constantly pushing me to explore new shapes, colors, and textures, and to paint with more confidence and freedom.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

In 2020, during the COVID lockdown, a friend suggested I take up birding with my dad, who lived in Illinois. I never did, though we were close — and I missed him and my mom deeply, worrying about them being so far away when the world felt so uncertain. We had an incredible family vacation together in the summer of 2021 — and then right after, very unexpectedly, my dad passed away.

After that, I couldn’t paint for a while. But on my hikes, I started finding feathers — a lot of them. I saw hummingbirds every time I thought of him. Eventually, I started painting feathers, and people really connected with these little whimsical pieces.

Then one day on a hike, it hit me — all these feathers I was finding and painting were my dad and me “birding,” just from the other side. I could feel him laughing with me. It took me long enough to find the connection.

As I painted hundreds of feathers and my 500 Feathers idea grew, Subtle Spirits appeared — almost like it was meant to be. My dad loved whiskey, and in my forties, I learned to love it too. We’d sit together and share a glass, talking about life. Now, every year on the anniversary of his passing, my family and I drink a shot of whiskey for him.

So when these feather paintings found their way onto a whiskey bottle, it felt like a wink from the universe — as if he’s still right here, raising his glass alongside us.

What are five random things we should know about you.

My record for pull-ups (without dropping off the bar) is 27.
Music is how I get into flow when I paint — everything from country to folk to rap. If the lyrics move me, it’s on my playlist.
I dream of living in Italy with my husband as an artist-in-residence.
I made the dishes we eat on every day in a ceramics class.
Our dog, Bear, is my favorite human on this planet.

Shayna Larsen in her Boulder, Colorado studio.

About Shayna Larsen

Shayna Larsen is a watercolor artist based in Boulder, Colorado, known for her soulful wildlife and feather paintings created with accents of handmade earth pigments from crushed stones she collects on her hikes.

She grew up surrounded by art and nature — her mother was her high school art teacher — and after earning a BFA and building a career in web design, she rediscovered creativity through her kids’ watercolor set. That spontaneous moment turned into a lifelong practice that reconnects her to the wonder of the natural world.

Shayna paints with water as a living element — “the one thing that connects us all” — creating work that reflects both the science and spirit of nature. Her 500 Feathers Project honors this connection and took a deeply personal turn after her father’s passing in 2021. “We used to share a glass of whiskey together,” she says, “so having my feather paintings on a whiskey bottle feels like a wink from the universe — as if he’s still right here, raising his glass with us.”

Learn more about Shayna Larsen on her website or follow her on Instagram. And keep up with her 500 Feathers project here.

Artist Interview: Shayna Larsen