"On Stage"

8 1/2"x5 1/2"
Oil on Mat board
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This piece is in anticipation of my New Year's plans. I will be spending a few days in Asheville at a swing dance workshop. I am sure many paintings will come out of those days.

I will be going out of town to see my family for Christmas, so there will be no new pieces posted until after the New Year. But, after the holidays, be sure to check the site often as I have many exciting shows planned- including the one year anniversary of my first daily painting. Stay tuned and Merry Christmas!

"Sewing History"

8 1/2"x5 1/2"
Oil on Mat board
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This was my Great Grandmother's sewing machine. The machine itself is a beautiful work of art, with all its intricate details and complicated mechanism.

This piece ended up taking longer than expected. Stay tuned tomorrow for the finished piece!

"Journey On"

10"x14"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

This is another piece from a photo of my grandmother. We called her Mommom- appropriate as she is my mom's mom! I am not sure where she might have been going in this picture, or what she might have been doing, but I am drawn to her sense of adventure in this scene, as if she is about to head out on an exciting journey.

"Beginning"

10"x14"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

This piece is from an old photo of my grandparents' wedding day. They are dashing out of the church, being showered in rice. I especially love how active and excited they are compared with the crowd of people watching them sprint away.

"Holiday Cheer"

6"x6"
Oil on Foam board
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I haven't painted anything Christmas themed thus far- not out of any resistance to holiday art- but I just haven't done any. So, I decided last night it was time to paint one of my ornaments. I love the glints of colored lights reflecting off the surface. This was a fun and simple project, which was especially refreshing after the previous night's struggle.

Sometimes, as hard as I try, I just can't get a piece to work out. This is what last night's piece looked like after I wiped the whole thing off and went to bed! But, through every failure you learn something new, and it brings you that much closer to a successful piece.

"A Good Year"

6"x6"
SOLD

I went to a wine tasting a few nights ago with a group of friends. This is from a photo I snapped during the festivities. I love the various dabs of color reflecting off the bottles.

"Dancing Close"

5 1/2"x8 1/2"
Oil on Mat board

SOLD

"From the Top"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
SOLD

As I have been focusing on the inside of the lighthouse, I thought I ought to do at least one from the outside as well. I took this photo early in the day, so the sun was still low and was positioned right behind the lighthouse. This angle created a really beautiful halo of light around the tower.

"Golden View"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
SOLD

It is interesting to me how my attitude towards a piece changes over the course of creating it. I never like my paintings until I am close to finishing them. I think it is because when I first start, all I see is what else needs to be done, and the things that need to be changed of adjusted. This piece was no exception. But, over a period of just a few hours, I can go from really hating to really loving a piece.

I realize my posts have been a bit sporadic recently. It is shaping up to be a busy holiday season! This past weekend, I celebrated my birthday, so I didn't do much painting, but I have a new piece to post tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a few places you can see, and purchase my art, as well as the work of many other talented artists, over the coming weeks.

The December show at the Art & Light gallery opens this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8. Also, be sure to check out the Member Show at the Upstate Visual Arts Gallery during the First Fridays Gallery crawl on the 7th.

"Descending"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
SOLD

Another view from inside the Tybee Island lighthouse. I enjoy how the whole piece seems to swirl around a center point- the curve of the stairs, the bricks, the line of the handrail. And in the midst of it all is that golden glint of sunshine.

"Stopping for the View"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
SOLD

In the way up the Tybee Island lighthouse, I stopped on each floor to take pictures of the various windows. We were there just as the sun was going down, so the windows were flooded with beautiful golden light. I plan to do a few more of these.

Happy Holidays everyone! I spent most of last week on Tybee Island with my family. A few of the pictures are below. You can expect several of these to appear as paintings. Now, back to the studio...

"Through the Dark"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

As promised, here is the newest piece. The thing that I like about painting these windows is the high contrast between the light coming in and the deep darkness around them. I also want to get in as much color into the dark areas as I can.

I wasn't happy with the photo of last night's piece. I promise to post it in the morning. In the meantime, check out the slide show of my pieces on the right side of the page.

"Through the Clouds"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
SOLD

The stairwell at my apartment provides a great vantage point for viewing sunrises and sunsets. This was a sunset from a few weeks ago. I was amazed by how the clouds split the sky into two distinct colored areas. I am constantly in awe of the beauty of nature.

"Dogwood in Silver"

6"x6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This piece was done from a silver dogwood ring that belongs to my mother. There is so much color in this little piece, but when viewed from a distance, the colors almost disappear into the total composition.

'Tis the season for comissions...and I have had quite a few. If you would like to comission a piece, just send me an email and we can discuss the details. Also, if you would like your piece framed, it is only $20 more. The pieces will be framed in black with a white mat, as in the example below. Back tomorrow with more daily paintings.

"Boarded Up"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

Another window study. I am not quite as drawn to this one as the one from last night. I think it is because this one doesn't have the large areas of dark to contrast with the beams of light peaking through the boards. I am planning on using these smaller window pieces as studies for a larger series. More on that to come.

"Blue Window"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
SOLD

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I don't know what my facination with windows is recently. I think it is the contrasts in lighting that they create. I am also enjoying playing around with colors more- trying to see how many different colors I can use to render an object, while still having it clearly read what the object is. These old buildings and grainy photographs have proven to be great subjects for that kind of experimentation.

"Rusted"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
SOLD

I came across this old truck recently, and knew that it was just begging to be painted. Because of the square surface I painted this on, the truck is squeezed in a bit, although I like the exaggerated effect. I am thinking about doing a larger image of this truck as well.

"Waiting"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
SOLD

When I was traveling to my friend's wedding a few weeks ago, I spent quite a lot of time in the Greenville/Spartanburg airport. If you have ever been in that airport, you know that there is nothing there. Naturally, while I sat waiting for my delayed flight, I started sketching things around me, including the seats. This piece was done from one of those sketches.

I want to thank everyone who come out to the Art & Light show this past Friday and Saturday. It was a great success, and I was honored to be the featured artist this month.

"From Above"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This is another one from the photoshoot at the chapel in the middle of nowhere. This place had the most beautiful windows. Many of them were boarded up, but the ones that weren't let in these beautiful shafts of light. In this one, I really worked to achieve the contrast of the bright sun streaming into the dark space, and the way the camera blows out those areas of light when photographed. I also had a lot of fun playing with the various colors within the shaddows.

"In Her Hands"

6"x6"
Oil on Mat board
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This is another piece from my sewing series, which will be on display at the Art & Light gallery this Friday night and Saturday afternoon. I like how focused this woman is on her task, and the sepia tones seem to give it such a warm, comfortable look.