The Smallest Things

5"x7"

A little daily painting that is all about atmosphere. Look at how the fish glows in the light!

The Dark

12"x12"

Darkness and light and a quiet observer.

Stargazing

7"x9"
nfs

Something strange. I can't decide if it is more powerful for being so loose and brushy, or if the same sense of emotion would have stayed through further refinement....

Anemone

9"x12"

Something magical. The last time I worked with this canvas it was the first time I had ever tried to paint anenomes, and revisiting it taught me a lot. The clown fish really were there, yes, but I can't deny a bit of Finding Nemo delight in painting them!

Waterlily

5"x7"

Waterlilies have always fascinated me..... waterlilies themselves, and I'm pretty sure Monet had a hand in it as well. A point of transition is always wonderfully fascinating, and the surface of the water is exactly that.

Fairy Circle

18"x24"

Painting the Tiny Human! In her nightgown. In the yard. And a rather larger painting than I'm used to, and I believe the first time I have mustered the courage to do a figure laying on something as intricate as the grassy mushroomy leafy ground! It will be going up for sale tomorrow in the Strange Dreams Art Collective's Seasons exhibit along with the goldfish-and-succulent painting I shared a couple of days ago.

Wayfaring

9"x12"
sold

A beautiful early morning on the shore, the light making everything so delicate and high-key. And a beautiful whale shark on a pilgrimage back home.

Late Spring Rain

8"x8"

A little bit of magic for the Strange Dreams Artist Collective's Seasons exhibit, which opens on the 15th.

Juneberry

5"x7"
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This is the first year I've had a juneberry, and the flowers are these fascinating composite things, forming wonderful shapes and they're the perfect sort of dense white petals that glow a bit when the sun sets.

Summer Hollyhocks

9"x12"
sold

Wandering around the garden, enjoying the bright June sunshine and the wonderful flowers. June is such a wonderful month, everything feels like summer but it is still early and all washed new.

Aster

5"x7"
sold

Little bitty daily painting of a very happy pollinator. I love the contrast between the gold of the bee and the purple of the aster, and the little bits of pink uniting them.

Beech Tree

5"x7"

Trees are seriously intimidating subjects, there is just so much going on. And then all those wonderful greens. I have usually been shy about doing landscapes because it is just so hard to know where to cut off the level of detail, but I really just had to paint this gorgeous beech tree down by the eno river, and I am ever so glad I did.

Juvenile Plumage

5"x7"

Birds are always so wonderfully paintable... this one posed beautifully, holding so very still while waiting for a fish to come close. That beautiful sharp head silhouetted against the dark water.

Napping

5"x7"
sold

Focusing on the wonderful bright sunlight, and the way it makes some of the shadows on a sleeping flamingo absolutely glow red.

Pekin Nightingale II

5"x7"
sold

And right back to birds again! Wonderfully bright-colored bird that I've only painted once before and definitely find irresistible.

Avocado Highlight

5"x7"
sold

Look, it's not a bird! Not even an animal, something edible! Lol, something creamy was just meant to be today. Also I was making salsa verde. and wanted to play with dramatic brushstrokes.

Puma

5"x7"

Having another daily painting go at an awesome, intimidating, wonderfully sculptural wildcat.

Liftoff

5"x7"

Capturing all of the excitement of a group of flamingos flapping dramatically, splashing in the sun.... it is quite the challenge, especially when the painting is so tiny! The colors and activity were just wonderful though, I had to try.

Doves

5"x7"

Something special. I LOVE mourning doves, they have the most subtle colors and the sweetest little sounds. There's about six of them now that come to my front yard, but they stick very closely in pairs.

Hummingbird in Soft Light

8"x10"
sold

One of my darling little hummingbirds. She is wonderfully vocal, and of course so shimmery.

Spoonbill

5"x7"
nfs

A beautiful little spoonbill, absolutely glowing. They are some seriously freaky looking birds though, don't let the magical colors fool you.

Green Glass

5"x7"

A wonderful little bottle, because I need to work on my grasp of greens, and because it's shiny. Of course. With a delightful round stopper thingie.

Falling Marble

5"x7"

When in doubt, fall back on a favorite subject. And a very strong light source.

sketchbook page

sketchbook pages

Golden Hen

5"x7"
sold

Pretty birb. I guess it is mostly about the eye!

Ibis

5"x7"
sold

Another beautiful little bird. And some experimentation with brushstrokes, I really learned some things here.

Pekin Nightingale

5"x7"
sold

A wonderfully bold, curious little bird that absolutely glows in the sunlight!

Drifting

10"x20"
sold

Oh I hate to see this one go anywhere, but I'm not surprised she found a home right away <3 p="">

Flamingo in the Light

5"x7"
sold

Beautiful, beautiful sunlight. I have t remind myself periodically that the light is what makes a painting.

All the way Open

12"x12"

I brought picked a magnolia flower from the tree on the way back to the studio to paint, and it smelled so wonderful. You can really sense that from the painting I believe.

Brighter

5"x7"
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Yes, I'm working on another one of those still-life-with-jellyfish pieces! When in doubt, paint something magical.

Avocado and Shadows

8"x8"
sold

Because avocados are really wonderfully paintable. That is really the only reason. Also I've been playing more with color and changing up the colors while keeping the values consistent.

Cruising Altitude

5"x7"

Beautiful blues on a tiny little painting.

Morning Light

5"x7"
sold

A deer quietly gazing into the sunlight.... she was wonderfully unafraid, it's usually harder to catch one casually looking away from you!

Kookaburra

9"x12"

Sometimes it feels like I ought to do every painting twice- once to get everything realistic and "right" and the next time to add drama and play with the light and the brushstrokes.

Ocelot

9"x12"

Sometimes I need to repaint a painting and make it looser. And brighter.

Pelican

5"x7"
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Beautiful, ridiculous birdy.

Accompaniment

12"x16"
sold

Unexpected things coming together, goldfish choosing to swim alongside a beautiful draft horse....

Moon and Palms

Lovely peaceful commission <3 p="">

Moon and Cedar

Part one of a lovely two-part commission....

Flamingo in Profile

9"x12"
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Another birdie! They are put together in such an interesting way. And then those eyes are just the wildest thing, once they catch yours it is hard to look away.

Scales

5"x7"
sold

Strange pretty fishie. It actually does have those three blueish scales!

Tentacles II

5"x7"

Having some more fun with these! They put the strangest lights on the octopus tanks in aquariums, though.

Tentacles

5"x7"

Trying to work out how tentacles work, visually. It's one of those things where we all have a symbol for it in our heads, I thought I knew, but the more I study on them the more I unlearn and learn.

Amanita

5"x7"

Seems appropriate for a cold rainy day....

Skull and Pillow

9"x12"

Ok, just for the record, painting shadows on a patterned surface is HARD. But that pillow is just irresistible

detail of an upcoming work....

Do you see how the little chickadee just saw its reflection in the unicorn horn?!? I am so proud of that omg. So this is a detail of a 20"x20" piece I just finished for the Strange Dream's Art Collective's Mystic Animals auction, it opens on February 15th. No daily painting happened today because I've got three bigger pieces with a deadline of like now so.... yeah, you know how it is. Do you recognize the chickadee from yesterday's daily though?

Mockingbird

5"x7"
sold

This gorgeous creature has taken to hanging out on my back porch. She's great about posing, and the noises she makes are wonderful!