Orchids for Danna

My sister -in -law Danna is so supportive of me and my art and I appreciate her so much. She has many talents, one of them is cultivating orchids, so I thought it would be fitting to paint some orchids for her.

More red tulips

I painted this last week.

I really never could get tired of painting red tulips.

I do enjoy painting other things, but there is something about painting red tulips that seems to center me.

Chad Hedrick

Back in 2007, I was pregnant with my first daughter, painting at The Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival when along came Chad Hedrick! I was a volunteer during the 2002 Olympics and I was able to watch some of the speed skating. Chad said he spends a lot of time in the Netherlands skating, so he loves tulips too. It was so fun to watch him get a bronze medal last night.

These pictures are getting me excited for the tulip festival!

April Blooms

We have had a few warm days and it gets me excited because it means that the tulips will be coming.

Hogle Zoo World of the Wild Art Exhibit

We love going to Hogle Zoo. My brother and his wife gave us a pass and encouraged me to enter their annual art exhibit, and my painting made it in. The show opened last night and will be up until March 14th. I have been amazed at how fun our zoo visits have been during these colder months, definitely worth braving the elements... plus there is a great art exhibit to see!

Blooms

Whenever I travel to New York City, I always like to visit my favorite flower shop, Bloom. I love it because they have many of the flowers arranged by color, a vintage dresser covered with vases full of red flowers, a seating area surrounded by all white flowers. I love the way it feels to be there. My Mom was a florist when I was a little girl. I was a florist in college, and so for many reasons, I love this shop.

Once, I visited in a December, and I was just taking it all in and a man noticed me looking at this vase full of red tulips, I didn't notice him until he came up to me and gave me a simple tulip he had purchased for me from the arrangement that I had been admiring. He said he didn't need to know my name, just saw that he could do something kind for someone and did it, then he walked away.

I have thought often about this kind act.

When I got married, I made my bouquet look like that arrangement I was admiring. I painted this painting of the arrangement there at Bloom.

Last Friday, I got an award for this painting at a show.

red tulips - watercolor

12 x 12 watercolor on Arches (hot press)

A couple of weeks ago my husband gave me red tulips to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of our first date... and a very blind date at that!

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!