Baby Sam

I have been working on several commissions over the past few months that I haven't been able to share for fear of ruining the surprise. But, a few of them have now been shared with loved ones, so I can now share them with you. I did this piece of baby Sam for some friends of my sister. I like painting babies, but I usually find them a bit harder than painting grown ups, because babies don't have quite as many distinguishing features to their faces. It is amazing how much easier a little bit of age makes capturing a likeness! Happily, though, this painting of baby Sam was quite easy and a lot of fun!

Malie and Macie

This is a commission I did recently for a friend of my sister. It is of her two daughters, and I heard that she really loved it. I think it turned out so cute!

Luca

I keep saying that I don't draw often, but the number of drawings I have been doing recently belies that fact! This is a drawing I did recently of a friend's adorable little boy.

Precious

This piece is from one of my favorite photos I took after my nephew was born just over 4 years ago. I have always wanted to paint it. Now that we are expecting my second nephew to arrive, it seemed like a good time!

"Sitting and Waiting"

4 1/4"x 5 1/2"
Oil on Mat board
$65

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

I haven't done one of my daily paintings in a while, but I finished everything I needed to get done today before lunch. I was looking around for something to work on, and saw this photo of dad on top of a pile on my desk. He looked so sweet that I just had to paint it!

I've been working on a couple of commissions this week, so I thought I would share one that I finished recently. This is my best friend from elementary school's two kids. This, as well as many other commissioned pieces can be seen in my website's commission gallery.

"Keepsake"

4 1/4"x 5"
Oil on Mat board
$65

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

I have used this photograph in a painting before, and mentioned previously that it is my favorite photo ever! It is an old Polaroid of me and my sister on Christmas in 1981. This time, I wanted to capture not only the image, but the look of the Polaroid as well.

"A New Friend for Christmas"

6"x6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

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

This piece is from a photo of my mom, gleefully holding a new doll on Christmas morning. I pray that you may have this same reaction this Christmas!

"Things Treasured: Christmas 1981"

12" x 12"
Oil on Canvas

I have been working on this piece for the Open Studios show. For the show, all artists participating in Open Studios can submit a piece that must measure 12" x 12". This piece was done from my favorite picture of all time. It is of myself and my older sister, and my mom has written "Christmas 1981" on the back. I would have just turned 2, and Anna was about 4 1/2. And, yes, my pants were plaid!

"Small in a World of Big"

6"x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

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

I haven't done one of these smaller pieces in a while, and it was good to go back to this size. The title refers, not only to the little girl in the world of grown-ups, but also the small painting in the wold of larger, louder work.

"More Possibilities Open"

9"x12"
Oil on Mat board
$150

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

This piece evolved in an interesting way. I added and wiped away paint so many times, that I had covered most of the surface with a mid-range tone. I was able to then add in darks and lights, so the figure seemed to almost "emerge" from the background color. Another challenge in this piece was to try to create a sense of place without putting all the background details in. I do like that she is sort of glowing there in the midst of the darkness.

"Lined Up in Our Finest"

11"x 14"
Oil on Mat Board
$150

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

My favorite part of this piece was the different expressions on the faces. Everyone has a different attitude towards being photographed with their siblings, I guess!

"Across Their Path"

10"x 14"
Oil on Masonite
$150

I submitted this piece for a juried show in North Carolina. Hopefully it will make it. I am very happy with how the stone steps turned out, and I love the brightness of the children against the neutral ground.

"A Bath Anywhere"

9 1/2"x 13 1/2"
Oil on Mat board
$150

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

This is a wonderful, classic picture of my dad taking a bath in a bowl...

"Treasure Among Weeds: A Portrait of the Artist"

16"x16"
Oil and Paper on Canvas

This piece was one of those that came together so easily and quickly that it shocked even me. I was especially happy with the ease of this one because it is the last piece for my show opening in June. More details to come on that very soon! And, yes, this one is a portrait of me as a little girl.

"On the Edge of a Story"

16"x16"
Oil and Paper on Canvas

I wish you could get a feel for the texture of these pieces. This one has much more dimension in it than some of the previous works. I love the smallness and simplicity of the figures in this more complicated background.

Heroes in Their Minds

16"x16"
Oil and Paper on Canvas

This is one of my favorites of this new set of pieces.

Happy Mother's Day

16"x16"
Oil and Paper on Canvas

In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I would post another one of my larger pieces, as it features my mother and her younger sister. I love you mom!

16"x 16"
Oil and Paper on Canvas

In addition to the larger pieces for my June show, I have begun working on several mid-size pieces as well. I am really trying to experiment with these, and that has included playing with the background. For this piece, I covered the canvas with pages from children's stories. I loved the innocence of eating an ice cream (and licking it off your arm) in conjunction with the whimsy of well known fairy tales.

"Snow Day"

10"x 12"
Oil on Masonite
$150

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

It has been snowing in South Carolina! One of my coworkers took this photo of his son playing in the snow. I love the blue colors in the ice, as well as that bright orange jackted against the white of the snow.