Blog

I heard some commotion on the screen porch the other day and went out to investigate. Apparently I’d left the door propped open the last time I was photographing my paintings, and a bright red cardinal had gotten inside. What I heard was the sound of him throwing...

I have been working hard on a particular batch of paintings-- a triptych for a nursery for a very dear friend. My paintings have been less than inspired lately. The strokes feel labored, my subjects tired (gee, I wonder whose energy they could be reflecting?) so when...

"From Shadows" 20x20, oil on canvas I’ve been MIA on my blog. On May 28th, surrounded by family in a small ceremony, I got married to the love of my life on the steps on St. Rose de Lima church in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The next day, we jumped in the car and...

Coronavirus time reminds me of when my son was really little and I would sneak in painting sessions when he napped. I never knew exactly how long I would have. I just knew the time was small and precious. I gave little efforts that somehow, miraculously, added up. ...

"Muddy Waters" 10x10, oil on canvas, $300.00 Today’s painting is of the Tchefuncte River-- that special place where cypress trees reach their long trunks into the muddy waters that hold a mirror up to them. Form and reflection touching where land meets water. It is a...

"Magnolia Melodies" 10x10, oil on canvas, $300.00 I typically like to paint flowers with less specificity-- roses and ranunculus in particular. Flowers whose petals all kind of blend together, and I freely apply the palette knife to the canvas to create bumps...

Today’s painting is the second part of a small commission I shared on day 48. The setting is the Mandeville lakefront, a place I’ve spent my fair share of days.  Looking forward to more of these kind of days-- footloose and fancy free.

"Celebration" 16x16, oil on canvas I used to see a lot of arrangements like these at the weddings I would attend almost every weekend. My weekends now are slower-paced and with fewer flowers.  We got the go ahead yesterday to have our "micro-wedding" (just...

"Rest Here Awhile" 4x4, oil on canvas, $80.00 My mother's day was so good yesterday I decided to give myself the day off from both painting and posting. Now that we're up into the 50s, the little breaks are becoming more and more essential. We spent the day at the...

"Uplifted" 6x6, oil on canvas What's that saying? The only things we can be certain of are death and taxes? I'll add one to the list-- children interrupting you.  I can't keep track of the days anymore. Edit: I don't care to keep track anymore. At my house, we are...

"Onward" 6x6, oil on canvas    What advice would you give 2020 graduates? I created this little painting for one. The slightly lavender background is a nod to her going to LSU in the fall. These are strange times, and I'm not sure there's anything we could...

"Breaks" 6x6, oil on canvas, $125 During homeschool, my son will typically ask for a break after brushing his teeth and before any tasks have been assigned. It’s good to take breaks, but, as I tell him, they feel even better when they are hard earned.  On day 50 I...

  I didn’t touch any paint today except that which got on my hands shuffling paintings around in a make-shift garage studio that I haven’t cleared out yet.  I don’t have a finished piece to show for today. What I do have is over 30 paintings, packed and ready to...

"Gratitude" 6x6, oil on canvas, $125.00 I love words, but today I don't have many. I sent a coupon to my mailing list Friday for a mother's day sale, and my inventory is just about all gone.  Thank you for all your love and support. I feel so deeply grateful. 

  I struggle with commissions. It's just a fact. That's why I take them on only sparingly. But this one reminded me of me and my sister and of my nieces, and I loved the landscape aspect to it. The first go at it was all wrong and I'm not sure I could articulate...

"To Begin, Begin" 36x48, oil on canvas I’m “cheating”. This is an older painting that somehow disappeared from my site. I’m adding it back today and calling it day 47. I’m taking a little break from the daily paintings to get organized (ha!) and work on some shipping....

"Is it almost ready? When are we going to be there? This is taking forever! Are we there yet!?" I get these almost daily. About dinner. About the one hour drive from the house we are moving out of to the one we are moving into. About the zoom doctor's visit we had on...

There have been days in the last few years where I've been able to work to live music-- my fiancé practicing classical guitar in the next room. Today is one of those days.  There is a joy to it that I can't quite describe, but, there's no harm in trying. It's not...

Today's painting was a commission I did for a family. It's part one of a three part series that involves an important tree in their lives. I did a painting of each of the children in the tree and one of the tree by itself in all of its glory. I don't usually include...

"Blue" 16x16, oil on canvas Meet Blue. Chocolate lab and best friend of a pretty special kid who turned 13 yesterday. I never thought I'd have stepkids, but now that I'm just weeks away from it all being official, I'm more grateful than ever. I don't know Blue well,...

"Simplicity" 4x4, oil on canvas, $80.00  A couple nights ago I made dinner with only ingredients I already had-- imagine that! Today I painted one flower instead of several. Yesterday, I relished in the joy that is a perfectly full tube of cad yellow paint, even...

"In Every Direction" 10x10, oil on canvas, $300.00 Just few things.  1. I just realized this cool vase looks like a pineapple. I'm okay with that! 2. I ran out of yellow paint. I use only primary colors and a few neutrals and mix everything else so this was a...

 "Rhythm of the Waves" 6x6, watercolor on paper, $75.00 Day what!? How can this be my 40th painting? How can life have been upside down this long?  Truth be told I’ve found a rhythm. Not the graceful, dancer kind. More like the rhythm of waves on the open ocean when...

"All is Well" 6x6in, watercolor on paper, $125.00 Oh, beautiful, frustrating, delightful, surprising, watercolor. Hey there, how have you been?  This morning I reunited with a very old friend. I had to blow the dust off my supplies, gently coax the dried up paints...

"A New Day" 10x10, oil on canvas  Let’s all channel our inner Bob Ross and talk about happy accidents, shall we? What’s a mistake that turned into a joy?  Last week, I made a mistake with my canvas order. I usually order canvases that are 1.5 inches thick, but I...

"Watch Your Back" 4x4, oil on canvas, $80.00 When I started this painting-a-day practice at the start of the coronavirus shut-down, I had no real plan for what I would paint or how many days it would be. All I knew was that in a world with so much beyond my control, I...

"Murmur" 4x4, oil on canvas, $80.00 I picked up for my next read The Murmur of Bees not knowing it would be, in no small part, about the devastating influenza of 1918, which was both jarring and comforting.  I am trying not to read the novel too fast. It is hauntingly...

"All over the Place" 6x6, oil on canvas, $125 I’ve named this floral painting “All over the Place” because that’s what they look like and that’s how I’ve been feeling. See that big one at the top left? How does it even fit in that tiny vase and still stand up? All...

"Chance Encounter" 4x4, oil on canvas, $80.00 This morning’s painting session was going swimmingly, that is, until, once I’d finished this little guy and was ready to take him outside for a quick photo shoot. I fumbled him and he landed, jelly-side down on the...

"Having a Moment" 8x8, oil on canvas, $175.00 I am particularly proud of today’s painting. Each stroke felt strong and intentional. I wasn’t fighting with the paint, I was listening to it. I was having a moment-- the kind that are so often few and far between. So I’m...