Oranges remind me of Christmas

I love Christmas morning. I love finding an orange in my stocking. This painting is a multi media piece- celebrating citrus.

Uncle Lynn

My uncle was born on leap year, I painted this for him for his birthday. When I was a little girl, I thought his name was "Uncle Inn", he had a condo in San Diego and he would let us stay there. The beach always reminds me of him.

One time when we were there I wrote this haiku poem:

Where does the sky end?

Sky ends, the ocean begins,

Wind and waves. Two worlds.

Tulips at Dusk

I painted this a couple years ago, I went to Skagit Valley with my mom, my sister and my brother. We had such a good time. I loved getting to see so many tulips. One evening while we were there it started to get stormy and everyone got into their cars, I stayed out for a moment by myself and this is what it felt like to be standing there.

Zinnias in watercolor and ink

It is starting to get so cold.

Yesterday I had some time to paint,

so I painted about warmer days.

A favorite quote

“The influence of art is so powerful in shaping our lives for a higher appreciation of the creations of our God that we cannot afford to neglect an acquaintance with it. We should be as eager for it's companionship in our homes as we are eager for chairs to sit upon, or for food to sustain our lives; for it has as important a mission in shaping our character and conducing to our happiness as anything we term necessities. Life is incomplete without Art.

A religious life is not an ideal religious life without it."

-John Hafen-

Un poquito de gracia

This is a little painting I recently finished, it is 4 X6 mixed media on panel (acrylic, oil, enamel, charcoal...). My goals: to love it and to have the texture be enticing.

I love it, and my daughter is right here beside me, and she says she loves it too.

" Oh! I love it, your painting is soooo pretty."

Thanks Gracie Girl.

The Jake Guy

A few years ago my little brother and I went to Thailand to visit some friends, recently I was thinking about it and looking through my sketchbook from that trip. My brother brought a novel to read- I think he is sitting in an airport in Japan reading in this sketch. He was holding so still- almost begging to be sketched. I drew this in a "moleskine " sketchbook (one of my favorites), and I used the ballpoint pen that my bank hands out.

Quick draw

During the Thanksgiving Point Plein Air Festival this year, they added a new event- "The Quick Draw". Many festivals have this event, but it was the first time at this one. It is essentially a painting race! From blank panel to framed and ready to be judged for a prize and for sale in only 2 hours. To add to the intensity of the event, we arrived late, so I went with a smaller panel and focused on a single pink zinnia. It all worked out, no prize... but an exciting time, great company, and the painting sold! My dad on the other hand took my 2 year old to Farm Country and The Dinosaur Museum all in that same less than 2 hour time period- now that is impressive!

Pink Zinnias

I started this painting at The Thanksgiving Point Plein Air Festival this year, unfortunately I didn't get it finished during the festival (it is getting tricky with 2 children) To speed up the process I started it in acrylic, then drew on it with vine charcoal, fixed the drawing on and kept on painting.

I brought it home to finish in the studio.

A peek of The Thanksgiving Point Plein Air Festival

Last month was the Thanksgiving Point Plein Air Festival. It was beautiful. It is getting a little bit harder to participate in these kinds of things with an active toddler and a new baby, but thanks to help from my husband and my dad (and the baby bjorn), I got a couple of paintings done. Here I am painting some sunflowers- they are across the path- I am sitting in the nearest shade. I love painting outside and getting to see so many artist friends at these type of things, and it is always fun to meet and visit with people who come to watch.

Aunt Sue Marie

My Aunt died last week. My mom spoke at her funeral, she did a good job. I painted the flowers on her casket.

Orson Scott Card's review

My good friend tipped me off on this review of the International Art Exhibit at the Conference Center through Oct 11th.  As you read the article, you'll find his opinion about my painting in the exhibit under the heading "Highlights", paragraphs 5-6. Enjoy.

Sunflowers for Tierry

I just added this image because it is that time of year, I painted this quite a while ago- in 2002. It is oil on panel, 12 X 12.

 I was a volunteer for the 2002 Olympics.  It was an incredible experience.  I was assigned to be the personal assistant and driver for one of the members of the OIC.  His wife loves sunflowers, so I painted some sunflowers for her, I painted a few paintings for him to pick from (I wish I had files of them all)- this one was not quite finished, so I finished this one after the games were over. 

If you turn it upside down- you can see the pattern of the Olympic rings in the sunflowers

Zinnias

Almost every year, my parents fill their front flower beds full of zinnias, it is always such a beautiful sight, I enjoy sitting on their rocking chairs and admiring them.  I think Zinnias are fascinating to watch develop- each stage is so exciting, and then to top it off they last so long.

I actually painted this painting a couple of years ago, and I have a confession to make : I painted it over one of my former students' painting.  My student had given me the painting (the painting had been painted as an assignment)  My husband and I had just moved and I wanted to paint, but we hadn't unpacked my studio yet... I found the painting and painted over it.

I started this painting out in acrylic, and I actually painted quite a while in acrylic (until I finally unpacked my oils) then I finished it up in oil.  It is one of my favorite paintings.  I love the color combinations, for me, that is one of the things I love most about painting- putting colors next to each other - that excites me. 

Yamashiro Reds

This is a multi- media painting- I started out with acrylic, drew on it with charcoal and finished in oil, it is on panel and is about 9 X 18

I called it "Yamashiro Reds" in part because I love the California Guitar Trio's CD called "Yamanashi Blues", "CG3+2" is also a really great CD.

Go here to listen and download some free CG3 music.

Queen of the Night Tulips

5 X 7, mixed media on panel

Queen of the Night tulips are some of the last tulips to bloom, they get quite tall and quite dark in color. I think they are very elegant. I started this painting in acrylic, then I drew on it with vine charcoal, then fixed that on (with hair spray) then continued painting in various mediums, leaving some of the drawing visible.

Painting in The Secret Garden at The Tulip Festival

The Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point was amazing this year, here is one of the paintings I did during the festival. It is oil on panel, I like to start out with a sketch (using vine charcoal) on the gessoed panel, then I fix the drawing and begin the painting. I had to paint in shorter installments this year because I have a busy toddler and I am pregnant, but I was still able to get a few paintings done. This is one of my favorites this year.

If you want to have your own little tulip festival next year, Thanksgiving Point sells the bulbs from this years' festival $3 a dozen beginning on May 30th at the Garden Greenhouse. (If you get them, you can either plant them right back in the ground as soon as you get them, or you can hang them up in a pair of panty hose and leave them in a cool dark place until fall and plant them)

"Remembering Eden"

I have often wondered what it must have been like for Eve to experience the world outside of Eden after knowing only Eden. In Eden there was no death, so everything remained in one state without seasons. How strange and beautiful those first seasons must have been. What hope, what joy must have filled Eve’s heart when in that first spring, she saw the flowers begin to return and discovered that Eden was not gone, but that there were glimpses all around, reminding her—and all of us—that the Lord loves us and provides for us.

Seasons come and seasons go; it’s one eternal round.

And thus it is by change, true happiness is found.

The 8th International Art Competition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opens today!

To see the exhibit click here, for a better look at my painting, click on the exhibit, then enter it, then click on "S", and mine is the 2nd one.

I can't believe that the tulips are already starting to come up again- last year, they were a little late- and this year a little early so far.  This is a sketch from my sketch book last year during the festival, when my daughter was content to just sit and watch... this year things will be different.  The Thanksgiving Tulip Festival runs from April 17th until May 2.  People are always asking me when the best time to go is- and my best answer is to get a membership and go often.  For information on memberships, click here. For information about the Tulip Festival click here (and don't forget to click on the link at the top of the page for the live gardens webcam)